Could Haves and Should Haves
by punnylove
Summary: AU. A look at what the Teen Titans could have and should have been-includes AU, many pairings, and a lot of laughter. Chapter 14: The Birds' Wedding is finally up!
1. Titans East and Raven!

Summary: AU. What would have happened if Aqualad was part of the original five Titans instead of Cyborg? Or if Raven joined Titan's East? A look at what the Teen Titans could have and should have been like told through drabble sentences.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 ~ Titans East—and Raven<strong>

_Raven stared at Robin. "What?" The word was clear, quiet, and deadly._

_Robin swallowed nervously despite himself. He'd faced down Slade, Trigon, and even Batman, but Raven with that glint in her eye still made him want to duck and cover. He made himself look at her, and gulped again. She was not happy._

"_You're sending me to Titan's East. Why?"_

"_They need guidance. This is the fifth time Bee's called me for help. Her team's barely listening to her, and she desperately needs someone who can communicate with the twins—"_

"_So, send Starfire! Don't tell me, after all the kisses she's given, she hasn't learned Spanish by now?"_

_Robin flinched. Ever since Starfire emerged from her cocoon, she'd been on a hormonal binge. Apparently, matured Tameraneans had the sex drive about triple of that of a human teenage boy. She'd nearly driven Beast Boy insane, had tried to seduced a disturbed Cyborg, and Robin had been forced to explain to her why exactly sex, (especially the kind she was offering), within a team was not a good idea. It was weird, because in many ways Starfire was still the innocent, bubbly, child she'd been a couple weeks back, except she routinely left the house in search of what Raven called wryly, her "boy-toys."_

"_Yes," he admitted, "Star's probably got the language down, but she won't provide the solid authority you can offer. And Bee doesn't like Star, remember?" The two girls had clashed over their mutual short-lived crush over Aqualad, and even after they both got over him they never got along. Plus, after Bee found out that Starfire tried to seduce her boyfriend—_

"_Send Cyborg," Raven argued, "He's her boyfriend, they get along fine."_

_Robin couldn't help but grin. "They may be dating, Raven, but we both know that they get along about as well as electricity and water. 'Sides, Cyborg can't speak Spanish to save his life."_

"…_uh, Beast Boy?"_

"_That's not even funny." Robin sighed, putting his head in his hands in an attempt to garner\r sympathy from the empathy. "It's just, you're the perfect one for the job. You're commanding, calm, and good in a fight. You speak fluent Spanish, and Bee likes you." Robin knew he sounded wheedling, but, judging from the look on Raven's face, it was working. "So, you in?" he asked hopefully._

_Raven smirked. Hoisting herself onto his desk, she swung her legs over and bent down to look him straight in the eyes. Robin tried very hard to focus on her face, and not on the fact that their bodies were so close he could feel her body heat. Ever since Trigon had been defeated, Raven was a lot more comfortable with physical proximity. She was also a lot more casual about her outfits, preferring now to go without a cape, though she kept the leotard. All in all, when she was two inches away from him, her toes brushing his calves and her lips so close he could feel her breathing, it was rather distracting._

"_Flattery isn't a good look for you, Robin." She teased, and smirked. "Fine. I'll go for six months. But you owe me." She jumped off the table and walked off, and Robin rubbed his forehead. He wasn't sure what kind of favor Raven would cash in, but he hoped it wouldn't be too humiliating. Batman didn't need to hear more stories about the goings on in Jump City._

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><em>

1. **Less Than Impressed**

Raven's first look at Titan's East was less than impressive. Aqualad looked green as he rushed past her, barely managing a polite, "Hello, welcome to Titans East. Team's in the big room on the left."

Raven was left wondering how he could fit all into a three second interval, and then she walked into the Tower and her mouth literally dropped open. Bee stood, hands on hips, yelling unabashedly at a equally annoyed Speedy, the former holding her stingers, (which were sparking dangerously), and the latter holding a bag of what Raven surmised to be fish tacos. _So that explains Aqualad.._.

The twins raced around, obviously trying to clean up, but without Bee's guidance they knocked over as many things as they put away.

Raven waited for about two minutes, and then cleared her throat pointedly. Bee shot a glare over her shoulder, and then promptly jerked back in surprise when she saw it was Raven who stood there. Her inadvertent stumble backwards made her step on Mas—the twins just happened to be behind her—and she fell, catching herself but not before one of her stingers shot a bolt of energy towards the ceiling. There was a boom, and then the lights flickered out. "So," Speedy said in the silence that followed, "Welcome to Titans East, babe."

2. **Pep Talk**

"Listen up guys, Raven ain't no second hand dum-dum in latex. She's one of the original five, and probably tougher than all of you put together. So, if any of you cross me while she's here, embarrass me, or basically screw up in any way, I'll hit you so hard you'll be singing soprano for the rest of your life."

3. **Rules**

"Don't plan on using the bathroom from seven to eight, that's Speedy's quality hair time, and he won't open the door, not even if Mas and Menos just spilled gasoline all over themselves and are in serious danger of lighting themselves on fire."

"Don't use the sink. Aqualad accidentally broke the pipes when he was washing the dishes. Turns out it's not a good idea to take shortcuts with stuff like this."

"(In Spanish) Don't talk to Bee before ten, because before then she's a big, hairy monster!"

4. **Touching**

Raven gave Speedy a withering look as the archer, who'd placed a hand innocently on her shoulder, started sliding it down. "Roy, keep doing that, and you're in serious danger of losing that appendage, which would be a pretty serious handicap considering your profession."

5. **Talented**

Speedy swore that Raven was the only girl who could sound smart, look sexy, and make him back off all in one sentence.

6. **Publicity**

Raven finds it hilarious that the residents of Star City found Aqualad's hair more appealing despite the fact that the Atlantian spent little to no time on it, as opposed to Speedy's continuous fussing. She nearly splits her sides when she catches an article discussing the possible love triangle between Bee and the twins, (afterwards, she's extremely disturbed). But what makes Raven laugh the most is the fact that, despite her international fame, the residents of Star City insist on remaking her into "Shadow, the villainess who turned good and joined Titans East."

7. **Tabloid**

"Dudes, I thought we sent Raven to Titans East. Who's Shadow?"

"That's the name Star City calls her, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy's mouth drops open and he drops the magazine as if burned.

Robin glances curiously at him. "What?"

Beast Boy's face reddened. "Well, apparently, 'Shadow's' pregnant with Aqualad's baby."

8. **Authority**

"You guys are under Bee's authority, which means you _listen to her_. You won't function as a team until you have a clear leader, and that person's Bee. So when she tells you to jump, _jump_, and then fix her hot chocolate and maybe rub her feet. _Capiche?_"

"Raven, I think you have to let go of the magic over their mouths before they can answer."

9. **Pool**

She _knows_ that the pool's like Aqualad's room, but they don't have one back in Jump and she doesn't expect him to be naked when she slips in wearing only a nightgown. It's awkward, to say the least, especially since the nightgown happens to be semi-see-through.

10. **Devious**

"Dude, you saw _what?_ Why can't I be that lucky?" Speedy's eyes narrowed at the smirk on the other boy's face. "I _knew_ you that pansy chivalrous act was just a cover up. You totally planned it, didn't you?"

The Atlantian rolled his eyes. "Like my bed's really heated when I sleep. Atlantians usually live in waters below zero." His smirk grew at Speedy's open mouth. "Shut it, Harper. Just admit it, you got outplayed at your own game."

11. **Sleep**

When there are thunderstorms, Mas tends to sleep with Bee, and Menos sneaks into Raven's bed. The problem is, the two hate to be apart, so somehow the two girls end of squeezing with the twins on a makeshift bed in the living room floor.

Aqualad and Speedy are both slightly disturbed and very turned on when they wake up the next morning to find Menos snuggled into Raven's chest, Mas next to Menos, and Bee behind the other girl with her legs intertwined with hers. "And you called me devious," Aqualad muttered, glaring at the twins.

12. **Home**

Make no mistake, Raven loves Jump, Titans West, and her team-mates—but she starts realizing that she loves Titans East just as much. She likes being the first one up, learning to cook from _Speedy_ of all people, and actually improving at it. She looks forward to her swims with Aqualad, her flights with Bee, and the lunch that the group always eats together.

13. **Homesick**

But then she looks over her shoulder, expecting Robin at the computer, and sees Bee instead. She sees the burgers at the lunch table and expect Cyborg's "now _that's_ real food," or Beast Boy's rant about animal rights. She misses Starfire dragging her into her room and insisting on modeling lingerie for her and with her, and then lying on the bed and listening to the other girl's problems before offering advice.

_XXXXXXXXX_

_Robin wasn't sure what he was expecting when the six months finally came to a close. Sometimes, he imagined Raven coming home ready to pound his face in or demand that he buy her a medieval castle or something in exchange for her six months of duty. Other times, he imagined her arriving without mentioning a thing about a trip but wearing a small smile that would have told him that she'd actually enjoyed herself. Very rarely, he allowed himself to picture her gratefully throwing herself into his arms and thanking him for making her go. (Those daydreams usually wandered into places they shouldn't go, so Robin tried to avoid them.)_

_The thing was, all of those scenarios had one thing in common. Raven coming home. _

_Instead, he got a roomful of Titan's East, and the empath was no where to be seen. _

"_She's still at Star," Bee said shortly, "Miserable, 'cause she doesn't know how to tell you that she'd rather chill with us than here."_

_Robin raised an eyebrow at her tone. "If that were true, Raven wouldn't hesitate to tell me straight to my face. And you would hardly come here full force with your fighting face on. What's really going on, Karen?"_

_Bee sighed. "She misses you guys just as much as she knows she'll miss us if she leaves."_

_Speedy rolled his eyes. "Don't know what she sees in this place, except maybe Starfire, and Raven hardly rolls in that direction."_

"_Says the one who spends hours at a time grousing about how he's _always _being compared to the Boy Wonder," Aqualad noted._

"_Si," the twins agreed._

_Bee shut them up with a look. (Ah, Robin thought, Raven's doing.)_

"_The point is," she said, "Our girl's doesn't know what to do. Whatever team she chooses, she'll miss the other one, maybe enough to make her loose her edge. Maybe enough to get her hurt in a fight."_

_Robin nodded. "So it's settled. Raven's coming back, and I'll keep you guys apart for awhile. She lived without you bunch before, and she can do it again."_

"_Like hell you will," Speedy snapped. Aqualad grabbed at his arm half-heartedly, but Speedy easily pulled himself free, "How about, she stays with us until she realizes how much a prick you actually are and how much happier she'll be with us."_

_Robin gave the other boy an even stare. "I'm not the only one on this team, Roy. And while I'm sure she'll miss me too," he smiled innocently at the fuming archer, "There's the rest of the team to consider. I happen to know that Raven's really close to all of us. Mental bond, remember?"_

"_That can be remedied," Aqualad remarked, dark eyes going black, "Telepathic surgery does wonders."_

"_All of you shut up and stop acting like damn infants," Bee snapped, "I talked it over with Vic, and he said the best way's probably to share Raven. Let her stay six months with you, and then six months with us."_

"_No!" the twins cried, "Mas tiempo!"_

"_And what does Raven say?" Robin asked, ignoring the twins plea for more time._

"_Can't you tell with your mind bond?" Speedy muttered, and Robin felt rather than saw Aqualad kick him._

"_She says yes, if you'll agree." Bee replied._

"_Then there's no more discussion," Robin looked down and started sorting through the files on his desk. "If she says yes, than who am I to stop her? You guys know the way out."_

"_I swear, every time he opens his mouth he sounds more like a prick," Speedy muttered as the group filed out._

"_Hey, we just pretty much stole one of his best team-members right under his nose. Boy deserves some times to stew."_

_Back in Robin's office, a small hand touched Robin's shoulder. The Boy Wonder didn't look up. "I knew you were here," he said, and Raven came fully out of the shadows. He studied her, noting the length of her hair and the way she wore her clothes. The same Raven, but different._

"_So, are you really ok with this?" Raven asked. Robin pulled up a chair for her and she sat, "I mean, I heard what you said, but—"_

_Robin winced. "Don't remind me. I can't believe that team of yours didn't notice that noise you made when the twins started shouting." He smirked at her, "You're just going to have to whip them into shape the next time you go visit."_

_Raven's eyes widened, and Robin enjoyed one of the few times he'd ever seen Raven speechless. Then, the girl hurled herself at him, hugging him around the shoulders. Robin wrapped his arms around her petite frame, and whispered in her ear, "So, does this cancel out your favor?"_

_The look Raven gave him was pure mischievousness as she pulled away. Lowering her eyelashes, she bit her lip, rubbing the spot with her tongue. Robin swallowed hard. "Let me think—" her half-smirk grew. "I'm in a good mood, so I suppose I'll give you that one. Consider your debt paid."_

_Robin smiled weakly as Raven sauntered off, looking very much like a sleek black cat who's just finished a bowl of cream. No, of all the possible scenarios, this was not one of the things he could have predicted happening. Listening to Star's squeal of joy and Cy's, "welcome home, baby girl!" And listening to Raven's low murmur of a reply, Robin had to wonder if she'd really leave after six months._

_Well, he'd just have to persuade her to stay, now wouldn't he?_

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><p>The End! Unless, of course, my dear readers review and tell me they want more of this story. Otherwise, I'm planning on moving on to another chapter of completely new material. Perhaps it'll be a gender bender, or a role-mix up. Any preferences? Let me know!<p> 


	2. Raven in the Middle

_Author's Note: To all of my dear readers—this fic. is __**not**__ a story as much as a collection of one-shots. However, since many have wanted a sequel to the last piece, I'll write a little bit more on Raven's predicament and how it all turns out. Who knows, it might even turn into a three-shot._

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 cont. ~ Raven in the Middle<strong>

_Raven stared at the scene before her. Robin lay on the couch, a bleeding wound in his chest, while Speedy and Aqualad were passed out by the door. Bee and Starfire had obviously broken through several of the windows, and the room was a wreck—evidence of sonic blasts and animal attacks were everywhere. "What," she said very quietly, "What the _hell_ is going on."_

_Robin groaned and opened his eyes, only to close them very quickly again when he realized the empath's presence. It didn't work._

"_I can tell that you're awake, Robin," Raven murmured in his ear, and Robin shivered, wincing as the movement cause more blood to shoot trickle down his chest._

"_You idiot," Raven muttered, and then he realized he was on her bed, in her room, and Raven was stripping off his blood-soaked shirt. _

"_Wha—"_

"_Shut up. I'm just healing you so I can punch you later, after you explain why the hell you guys were going at it in the Tower, and why you useless assholes abandoned me alone with Mumbo Jumbo."_

_Robin blinked. "Abandoned you? Raven, you're more than a match for—"_

"_BS," Raven snapped, "It took all freaking-five of us to stop him last time, and suddenly I'm more than a match for him? Besides, I was too busy worrying about you idiots to pay attention properly to the pervert." She growled as she struggled in vain to pull down the ridiculously short shirt the magician had apparently put her into._

_Robin couldn't help it, he smirked as he got a good look at Raven's attire. She was apparently a cheerleader, with a shirt that was more of a sports bra and a skirt that bore a striking resemblance to one of his larger belts. Her hair was in pigtails, and the overall brightness of the scarlet outfit contrasted greatly with the scowl on the sorceress's face as she focused on healing the wound in his chest._

"_This is nasty," she noted, "It'll take some time for me to heal. So talk."_

_Robin wondered if he could fake weakness, but Raven's glare made him decide that angering the girl further would probably not be good to his overall condition. Besides, the position she was in right now gave him a very good look at the lean muscles on her flat stomach and the way her fingers danced on his chest wasn't exactly unpleasant._

"_We didn't mean to start a fight," Robin said honestly, "We came over to get you and talk to you about your current, uh, arrangement, and Titans East caught us, uh, practicing…"_

_~ Flashback ~_

"_You're planning on using Starfire's tears to make Raven stay with you? How low can you get?"_

"_How's doing that any different from you guys faking mass illness so Raven would have to stay and look after you?"_

"_Chicken pox is a legit disease, look it up!"_

"_You all had vaccinations before you formed this team. It's right here in the files—"_

"_You carry our files around with you? How anal-retentive can you get?"_

"_Do not call Robin names!"_

"_Guys, I think we should just calm down and talk about this."_

"_Sparky's right. I'm sure if you all would just take a chill pill, you'd see that Raven should stay with us full-time."_

"_WHAT?"_

_~ End Flashback ~_

"_You know this happens every time you guys meet up, right?" Raven asked, shifting her weight so that she straddled his waist. She put pressure on his wound and Robin struggled to keep his eyes on her face._

"_You mean, every time since you joined Titan's East part-time," he corrected. "It's like a warzone."_

_Raven's eyes narrowed. "Explain."_

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1. **Espionage**

"Starfire said that? You sure, Red Rocket? Does White Flames confirm?"

"Si," both boys chorused.

Aqualad exchanged a look with Speedy. "How'd they end up with the cool names and we with, well, the not-so-cool ones?"

"Move your lazy asses, Hair Gel and Fishboy. I can't translate all this on my own, you know."

2. **Infringement**

Robin knew there was something wrong with the Tower the moment he stepped in it. "Robin to Cyborg," he said, pulling out his T-Com, "Check the systems. Something's not right."

"Damn right," the half-metal man said glumly, "Check out the living room."

"On my way." Robin ran for the room, skidding to a halt as he joined Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg in open-mouthed horror. Birthday banners were strewn everywhere, a half-eaten cake was on the table, and Raven was currently opening presents as Titans East smirked over her shoulder at the four fuming teens.

"How the heck did they find out we were planning to throw Raven's surprise birthday bash to end all birthday bashes _today_?" Cyborg groaned.

Starfire gasped, big eyes filling tears. "Friends, I fear I may have given away the information to Mas and Menos. You see…"

3. **Declaration**

"You got the twins to mooch the information off Starfire? What kind of people are you?"

"Hey, watch it, Sparky. The twins were the only ones who could get in and out without anyone but the target noticing them."

"The target? What is this, a freakin' war?"

"You could always surrender."

"Hell, no, Bee. Raven stays with us. If she wants to waste half of her time with you crazy folk, that's her choice, and I ain't gonna mess with it. But the rest of the time, she's _ours_, so stay away."

"No can do, Sparky. We can't trust that you won't corrupt Raven into deciding to permanently join your side. Consider this an official declaration of war."

4. **First Conflict**

Robin likes to think he isn't the uptight, strict dictator that Beast Boy sometimes makes him out to be. So, he doesn't let the green teen hold parties at the Tower—is that too unreasonable? The point was, Robin likes to think that the Tower was each Titan's personal home, and that each room was their territory alone, a place where they could do whatever they wanted. And they _were_ teens, so he tried to turn a blind eye when they had visitors of the opposite sex in their rooms.

He seriously considers revising that rule when Raven's door opens and both Speedy and Aqualad walk out with the petite empath, their arms around her shoulders. Raven either doesn't notice or ignores his stare, and it's Speedy who glances back, smirks and says, "We'll be back soon, Dick. There's a new bookstore in Star City and we're going to take Raven for a look."

5. **Retaliation**

Despite their cocky attitudes, both Speedy and Aqualad thought it had been just a little too easy to ferret Raven away, so they prepared for a counterattack. They did not expect the entire Titan's West to converge on the bookstore, (how had Robin found it anyway), and grab Raven on the pretense of needing the empath's help with a Dr. Light.

Dr. Light, of all people!

6. **Down and Dirty**

It starts when the East boys called Raven up on the public comm. in the meeting room. Robin had walked in, shirtless, and cheerfully sat down next to Raven, who'd reddened but tried resolutely to ignore that he was casually brushing up against her even while he industriously worked on paperwork.

Six months later, when Robin calls to ask Raven's advice on some files, Bee picks up and tells him frostily that the other girl is indisposed at the moment. When Robin presses, she expands the comm. link to encompass the entire room, and Robin's eyes narrow at the sight of Raven curled up with all four of the East boys in a thin nightgown. "Movie night," Bee says, and hangs up.

7. **Subtle**

The battle between East and West grows considerably more subtle when Raven starts to get suspicious on why Bee always seems to want to hang out when she's got something planned with Star, or why Robin is insisting on wrestling practice in the middle of her nightly chat with the twins.

8. **Enemy Analysis**

Robin handles the Raven Situation, (Beast Boy has to roll his eyes at the unoriginality), the same way he handles all his various problems—by breaking the enemy down.

Bee is undoubtedly the brains behind the group, the strategist, and the one to take command.

Speedy and Aqualad target Raven, as Speedy is easily the most provocative and Aqualad the least likely to make Raven mad.

Mas and Menos are perfect spies, dashing in and out of the tower before Titans West realizes they've been spied on, as well as the only ones who can always get information out of Starfire, who just can't resist their pleading eyes.

Bee tackles the Rae-Rae Crisis, (Speedy chokes and she threatens him with her stingers), the same way she tackles all her dilemmas. By knowing the enemy as well as she knows her own team.

Robin is her, and is no doubt compiling data files on them as she speaks.

Starfire and Beast Boy are Mas and Menos respectively, as Raven will never snap, yell, or insult them without making sure the two won't be seriously hurt by her words.

Cyborg is the compilation of Speedy and Aqualad, able to make Raven laugh and still remain her confidante when the girl wants to talk.

9. **Impasse**

Both team leaders rub their foreheads when they realize the truth staring them straight in the face. They're equally matched.

10. **Sides**

Jinx: "Aw, Robby's jealous. Sorry, I'd love to get back at Bee for—" she grins predatorily, "Many things, actually, but I really don't want to end up on the wrong side of those stingers. Again."

Kid Flash: "Sorry, little dudes, can't speak Spanish. Tell Speedy that he owes me fifty bucks, 'kay?"

Melvin, Timmy, Teether: "You want us to ask Raven to stay with _you_? No way! If she's moving around, she should come look after us!"

11. **Offer**

Titans East is busily fighting Mumbo Jumbo when they get the call. "Bee, West says they're willing to negotiate," Aqualad murmurs as Bee flips over his back to send two bolts of pure energy at the deck of cards Mumbo Jumbo has just shocked into life.

"We'll be there in five," she replies.

Raven is more than a little angry when she realizes that she is the only one left facing the blue-skinned magician. She's turning to yell for the others when Mumbo Jumbo changes her outfit into that of a very decadent cheerleader. "Oh, you're going to pay for that," she mutters, eyes turning red as she turns back to the villain. Mumbo Jumbo gulps.

12. **Blame**

Later, when Raven demands to know the entire story, Robin blames Speedy for making one comment too many. Bee points out that it's Starfire who throws the first punch, and Cyborg shoots back that the Tameranean split the table, and it was Aqualad who actually made the first aggressive move by sending water shooting at Robin. Mas protests that Robin palmed the first weapon, and Menos adds that Beast Boy lands the first punch.

What they all agree on is that the hole in Robin's chest was due to an unfortunate combination of dirty sink-water, Speedy's explosion arrows, and the very sharp edge of the table Starfire had cracked in two. Unfortunately, when the accident happens, Speedy and Aqualad are knocked out by Robin's gas bombs, Star and Bee are chasing each other in the skies, and Cyborg, Beast Boy, and the twins are trying their best to hide, having caught sight of Raven's face as she stormed into the Tower.

_XXXXXXXXX_

_Raven stared at Robin, mouth open in a look that he interpreted as part exasperation, part amusement, and part shock. "You mean, you got a hole in your chest because of a table?" She asked in a strange voice, and Robin scowled when her lips twitched._

"_It was a large table," he muttered, "Pure obsidian, imported from Spain and a gift from Bruce. He's never going to let me hear the end of it." Raven's lips quirked again, and she rolled his eyes. "Well, if you all had just come to me and told me how you felt instead of engaging in this stupid, immature 'war,' it could have been avoided."_

_Robin gave her a skeptical look. "Really? How?"_

_Raven shrugged. "I would have told you all to stop being jealous asses and act like Titans. You knew as well as I did that things would be tough. I dealt, so can you." She finished with his wound and sat back, panting a little. "There."_

_Robin gave himself an experimental twist, and then turned to look at Raven, who was sitting back on her hands, watching him. _

"_All better?" she asked mockingly, and smirked, "I still can't believe you got beaned by a table. I wonder what the news would say if this got out—"_

"_You wouldn't dare."_

_Raven's smirk grew. "I need some way to get you back for this outfit," she gestured, "I feel like a stripper." Robin's eyes followed her hands, and Raven frowned. "Eyes up—"_

_Her breath caught as Robin ran his eyes boldly up and down her body, and then slowly looked up to meet her eyes. "I like it."_

"_You would, perv." Raven tried to sound flippant, but her cheeks reddened at his perusal. Robin saw the blush and now it was his turn to smirk. Rising to his knees, he crept forward slowly, eyes still on hers. _

"_How about I give you a reason to stay at West?" he asked softly, voice going husky as he got closer._

_Raven backed away. "I doubt you could do that, Boy Blunder. You can't even escape the wrath of a table." Her back hit the wall, and Raven cursed, glancing behind her. When she turned back he was right in her face, and she glared at him. "Could you maybe give me a little elbow room?"_

"_No."_

_Raven tried to twist under his arms, but Robin caught her easily and suddenly she found herself pressed down onto the bed by a wickedly grinning Robin. "You know," he said conversationally, "This is exactly the position you were in when you were healing me."_

"_When I was _healing_ you," Raven pointed out, "You hardly seem to be doing anything of the sort."_

"_Ah, but I am. You're obviously mentally ill if you think that spending half of the year with Titans East is better than here with me."_

"_And you've obviously hit your head too hard, because your ego is inflated horribly."_

"_I'm hurt." Robin's voice was by her ear now, and she shivered as his warm breath tickled the sensitive skin. Suddenly, he dropped to both elbows, holding their bodies mere inches apart_

"_You're not exactly encouraging me to stay," Raven said, "Sexual harassment isn't exactly any girl's dream-come-true."_

"_It's only harassment if the girl doesn't want it," Robin told her. He lowered his body a couple more inches, and Raven had to admire how easily he held himself above her. "I don't hear you protesting. You could have phased out of here by now if you wanted to."_

_Raven sucked in her breath to argue, and then her eyes widened. "Shit, Al and Roy are still down there," she muttered, and moved to get up._

_Robin's eyes narrowed at the concern in her voice. "Not yet," he growled, and then his lips were on hers and Raven promptly forgot about the boys downstairs._

"_...mmm, Robin. I really need to check up on the boys."_

"_They're fine. The gas'll just knock them out for a couple hours. Plenty of time."_

"_WHAT THE HELL, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HAIR? WHERE IS THAT POOR EXCUSE FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT?"_

"_Plenty of time, hmm?"_

"_They can wait."_

"_Robin, you know I'm still planning on spending six months with Titan's East."_

"…_shit. That's a lot of time apart."_

"_You can come visit."_

"_I'll hold you to that. Now, enough talking. I can hear your two East bodyguards stomping up the stairs."_

"…_mmm."_


	3. Another Bird for Batman

_**~ Another Bird for Batman ~**_

_A boy in bright green soared through the air, feeling the wind sing as the dizzying feeling of defying gravity took hold of him. Flipping uncontrollably, he smacked confidently into his mother's hold, feeling her arms tighten around him for a split second before she swung him and he was flying again. The crowd cheered, and Dick laughed as his father caught him, spun, and deposited him gently onto the ground. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, the six-year old boy watched the routine he'd seen his parents practice for months debut before an audience of thousands._

_It was their love taken to the trapeze, with Angelina Somana gracefully weaving her body into Michael Grayson's gentle hold. The wires that held them precariously up glistened in the air, and the audience's voice roared in wonder and approval. Dick laughed and clapped for his parents as they finished and dropped to the ground next to him, throwing himself into his mother's arms and affectionately planting a kiss on her cheek._

_A dark figure watched the happy trio from the shadow of a rooftop window, a bottle of acid in his hands. With a snap, the bottle shattered, its remains dripping onto the still form of the two would-be murderers at the Caped Crusader's feet. They would have nasty scars when the police arrived to get them. Taking one last look at the boy who would never have to go through what he did, Batman disappeared off the rooftop and into the streets of Gotham._

_It was a quiet night, and that was what bothered Bruce. Whether it be in the business world or the criminal one—and in his experience, there was seldom a difference—Bruce Wayne had only ever known such quiet before maelstroms. Where were the burglars, the petty-muggers and more serious drunks? Where were the pimps, the potheads, the illegal sellers and buyers who destroyed lives for pennies? The streets seemed deserted, a chill wind adding to the eerie feel._

_Except—Batman heard a single click, and his body instinctively headed towards the noise. Three blocks down, a left turn, and down the alley, and he saw the reason for the quiet._

_Bruce Wayne might scoff publicly at the existence of demons and other otherworldly creatures, but Batman was part of the Justice League and had fought with, and against, enough supernatural creatures to not believe wholeheartedly in their existence._

_A group of men lay dead on the ground, various pieces of trash stuck through their throats, chests, and stomachs. Behind them all stood a little girl—she couldn't be more than five—whose four eyes glowed red as black power sprang from her hands. The "click" he had heard came from the last man left, who held the gun to another child's head. The boy was obviously civilian, older, with dark-skin and a ripped "Transformers" shirt. His eyes were closed, and there was blood trickling from his head._

"_Drop," the girl ordered, eyes intensifying. The darkness around her started to grow._

"_You drop it, or the boy dies." The man's eyes were wild, desperate. His fingers tightened on the weapon. "Do you understand me, demon? Drop yer' voodoo and I'll let him go."_

"_Drop," the girl repeated, and Bruce wondered if that was the only word the little girl knew in English. Springing from the shadows, he knocked the man's gun aside and wrapped him in rope in the next move. By the time he'd knocked the man out and turned around, the boy was gone._

_Batman's eyes searched the alley until he spotted them. He followed, watching as the girl pulled the boy behind a couple trashcans before muttering some words and placing a hand on his wounded head. Half-Demon, he decided, as the boy's head started to heal, or she would have lost control and killed him as well._

_He walked into the light, and the girl whirled. He ducked as a can shot past his head. "Drop!" she ordered him, cradling the boy protectively._

_Bruce shook his head. "Friend," he said soothingly. He tried a demonic dialect, but the girl just looked warier. He tried taking a step forward, but her eyes narrowed and he stopped. They stood there, him refusing to retreat and her refusing to let him get any closer._

_He glared at her, trying to intimidate the girl into letting him get closer, but she refused, big violet eyes meeting his fearlessly. Finally, Batman did something he'd never done before—he activated his com-link to ask for help. "J'onn," he growled, "Come here. There's a situation that I require your—_help _in." Pausing, he glanced at the girl. "Come alone."_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

1. **Intervention**

J'onn J'onzz hasn't been on Earth that long, but there are things that he's learned by heart. One, Oreos are delicious but highly unhealthy. Two, walking around in his natural form inspires fear and a kind of embarrassment due to his lack of what the earth-people call "clothing." Thirdly, when Batman calls and asks for help with a situation, it must indeed _be_ a situation.

So, when J'onn beams himself to Batman's location, he expects to see an army of the living dead, or a nuclear bomb the size of a house. What he does not expect, is Batman, _the_ Batman, on his hands and knees cooing to a tiny girl snapping at him to "_drop_."

He clears his throat, and Batman jumps to his feet, causing the girl to hiss. A rusting spoon barely missed J'onn's head, and he dodges, giving Batman an amused look. The man looks ruffled, various bits of trash sticking to his normally pristine cape. "Can you communicate with her?" Even his voice sounds strained, and J'onn stops trying to conceal his amusement.

Bruce scowls. "Shut up, J'onn and help me. I'm guessing she's half-demon of some kind, though I can't tell which because she won't let me get close enough."

J'onn can't help smiling as he turned back to the violet-eyed girl. "Peace, child," he thought at her, "You've frustrated the poor man enough."

2. **First Contact**

"We mean you no harm," he said, bridging the mental gap between them. The girl had natural as well as implemented barriers to telepaths, but J'onn once lived in a world where telepathy was life, and he navigated through the blocks easily. "Where are you from?"

There was a pause, and then a picture. Gray skies, flat, lolling hills and hooded men who walked without touching the ground. _Azarath_, he heard her say, and then he saw fire raining from the sky and burning the place to ash. The flames seemed almost real as they tore through everything in her mind-picture, and J'onn could have sworn he could feel the heat burning his own skin.

The image faded. "What was that?" he asked, and this time there was no hesitation when the girl beamed the image into his head. _Trigon the Terrible_, she murmured, and then paused before adding. _Father._

3. **Background**

"She comes from a pacifist community of empaths called Azarath. Apparently, her home world was destroyed by a demon, Trigon the Terrible, who also happens to be her father. The monks of Azarath gave shelter to her mother, who died shortly upon arrival but entrusted her daughter to them before she passed. There was some sort of argument over whether to let her live—but Azar, the sentient guardian of the world, ordered that she be well-treated and trained. There was a minority who wished her to be trained through suppressing her emotions, but Azar again intervened, ordering the monks to train her without stopping her emotions. She is about five years old, and after Trigon destroyed Azarath she threw herself into an instinctive teleportation spell and miraculously ended up here."

4. **Care**

Batman's not sure what possesses him to adopt this half-demon wild-child. Bruce Wayne he can understand doing something like this—it's the perfect publicity stunt. But Batman? "You know you've gone crazy when you start treating your secret identity like a separate entity," he thought as he signed the legal papers that bound him as "Raven Roth's" new guardian.

5. **Sleep**

She refuses to be cowed by him, and he has to admit, it galls him when she refuses to train past dawn. "I need to sleep," she says, and that's that. Then, she even has the audacity to short-circuit all the electricity in the Batcave. When he growls at her to turn it back on, she refuses, saying simply, "You need to sleep." It just makes him grumpier when he catches Alfred prompting Raven to say, "I need to eat," and "You need to eat." Who knew the butler could be so sneaky?

6. **Language**

She's a voracious leaner, and by the second month she has enough of a vocabulary to pass as a shy child. Bruce starts to take her into public, introducing her as his ward, "Raven Roth." She doesn't like his friends, and Bruce is glad that she knows better than to cause any embarrassing "accidents." (Personally, he agrees with her assessments of the women who hang on his arm and the men who try to buddy up to him.)

He can't help but roar with laughter when she takes one look at a particularly clingy model and asks flatly, "How much of your body is surgically altered, Ma'am?" The blonde gawks at the tiny child, the guests titter, and Bruce can't help but hug Raven around the shoulders.

7. **Training**

She never complains about training, and Bruce wonders whether it's because she knows first-hand that sometimes, her magic just isn't enough. Whatever the reason, she pushes herself through his martial arts lessons, refusing to use her magic as a buffer when he throws her to the ground. When she graduates to weaponry and hacking, she applies herself to those tasks just as diligently until she's good enough to start helping him with his cases.

She refuses to learn to drive, claiming that it was "just plain silly to trust her life to a hunk of metal when I can _fly_." Bruce doesn't argue with her. He didn't really want to relinquish his precious cars to the sometimes over-eager empathy anyway.

8. **Tears**

Alfred shakes his head in disapproval when he starts taking her out on patrol, and Bruce doesn't mention that it was Raven who followed him out that first time and refused to leave. "You gave me all that training," she told him flatly, "And you expect me not to use it?"

He tries to take her to the nicer places in town, and together they stop two burglaries and one murder. At the end of the night she's looking at him like she knows what he's doing, but then a car drives by and smashes into a boy on the road, and Raven jerks like she's just been sucker-punched.

It's the boy, the one she rescued all those years ago. Bruce thought back, trying to remember the name—Victor Stone. The lad was fourteen now, and sprawled across the sidewalk. The car hadn't even stopped. Raven stops the bleeding in his body but there's too many wounds for her to heal alone. Watching her eyes fill with panic, Batman sinks into the shadows and calls for an ambulance.

Raven doesn't cry until a week later, when she goes to visit and finds a bitter, bionic metal-man in place of the cheerful boy who'd been her first friend, all those years ago.

9. **Out**

She doesn't realize he knows she's been sneaking out until he casually says over dinner, "If you want to train him, then you're going to have to learn more about mechanics."

10. **Justice League**

They give her the status of an honorary full-fledged member after she helps Green Lantern hold the Watchtower together after Captain Bomber, (Raven can't help but snort at the name), sets off twenty strategically placed explosives and nearly sends the building toppling into space. Raven's in a self-healing coma for a week afterwards, and when she awakens, Bruce is there with a wry smile and a formal invitation from Superman himself.

11. **Surrogate**

Of all the original Justice League members, Batman keeps to himself the most, which is why J'onn smiles at the fact that his adopted-daughter manages to ingrain herself into the lives of the other famed heroes—without even trying. Diana becomes like a big, _far_-older sister, Shayera a younger one. Clark, John, and even he himself become uncles, and J'onn wonders if the empathy knows that her surrogate family is probably the most powerful the world has ever seen.

12. **Future**

Raven knows what she wants to do with her life, and it's not to join the Justice League. She loves the members, admires their goals, and trusts their intentions—but it's just too much of an organization, too big, too easily manipulated. She wants to be able to act as she sees fit without needing permission from higher authority—to give people the security that only city-bound heroes can. Now if only she can convince Bruce—

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"_Are you sure you want to do this?" Alfred hid a smile as he watched his master wheedle like the doting father he was. "You're only fifteen, you can wait a couple years, maybe intern for the Justice League before you take on such a responsibility."_

"_You started fighting crime by the time you were fifteen," Raven pointed out, "And you don't have magic." She drew her cloak around her, the supple fabric draping over her white leotard. Raising her arms, she surveyed her new home and soon-to-be base for her new team—the Teen Titans._

"_I worked alone," Bruce said, "It's different from managing an entire team." He followed her gaze, watching as Raven's dark magic put the finishing touches on the giant "T." "A bit conspicuous, isn't it?"_

"_That's the idea. I want criminals to know that Jump City has new protectors, and that they better hide if they want to remain free. Or at least, free for little while longer." Raven smiled dangerously before lowering her arms and turning. "Besides, it'll only be Vic and me until we can find some more recruits—" she frowned, "People are coming."_

_Bruce backed into the shadows, calmly slipping out of sight. Victor, or "Cyborg," as he was now known to the public, led a mismatched group of teens, a look of defeat in his eyes. Raven stepped forward. "Vic, who are all these people?"_

"_Sorry, dark girl," the cyber-teen replied ruefully, "I was only gonna bring Gar, but then we found Starfire," he gestured towards the orange-skinned girl who was smiling weakly, her arms bound in chains. "Force won't break'em," Cyborg explained. Twisting his arm into his sonic cannon, he placed it right next to the metal and fired, and when he took the weapon away, the metal was still smooth. "We thought maybe you'd be able to voodoo her out of them."_

_Raven whispered something, closed her eyes, and started running her hands along the metal. "That's one extra person you can explain, Vic. There's still two more." A younger, slightly lilting voice piped up behind her, and Raven craned her neck to get a better look at the green-skinned boy who was currently saluting her._

"_Beast Boy, at your command," he said, "Former member of the Doom Patrol, expert shapeshifter, surveyor, and player of video games." Dropping the salute, he pressed in, eyes shining, "You're really her, aren't you? Raven the Mystic, Batman's sidekick. You're so cool."_

_Raven turned her head back to Cyborg and raised an eyebrow._

"_He's a good fighter, and he's really useful when you need a tracker," Cyborg explained, "I thought he might be a good addition to the team." Taking a step closer, he lowered his voice. "I found him sleeping in the park. Kid doesn't have a place to live, and the homeless shelter wouldn't take him in, called him a'freak."_

_Raven nodded. "Beast Boy?" she called crisply. Her magic finally found the weaknesses of the chains that bound the alien girl and she quickly broke them, freeing the other girl's risk._

_She just knew Beast Boy was saluting again as he drowned out the alien girl's "Thank you so very much!" with an enthusiastic, "Yes, Ma'am!"_

"_Come to the front where I can see you. You're hurting my neck."_

_The boy sputtered and rushed to stand in front of her, and Raven rolled her eyes. "You don't have to salute." Pulling off her cloak, she added, "I'll need proof of who you are and that you're really able to fight. The former I'll get later. The latter you prove now."_

_She let the cloak drop to the ground and beckoned. "Come on."_

_To his credit, the boy didn't waste any time. He threw himself at her and she dodged easily, spinning to the side without even taking an extra breath. He landed as a tiger and pounced again, and Raven took a step to the side, grabbed his green scruff, and swung herself onto his back. The tiger bucked, and then shifted into a cobra. Raven leaped back as he tried to bite her. "Good reflexes," she noted, and then he was a dinosaur and charging at her._

"_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she whispered, and dark bonds bound the reptile until it shrank back into Beast Boy. _

"_Dude, how'd you—"_

"_You pass. Training starts tomorrow at eight." He was fast, and he had training, but his technique could use work and he was far too predictable—_

_A feminine voice interrupted Raven's musings. "Excuse me, but would this be the blorgstria of this planet?" Noting their puzzled looks, Starfire added, "A party of individuals who fight for the good of people?" Raven nodded, and the girl beamed. "Then I too wish to join!"_

_Taking a step back, Starfire raised one arm to the sky and shot a stream of green energy from her palm before promptly taking to the air. Tameranean, Raven thought, Super-strength, flight, starbolts—_

_She nodded to Cy, silently giving him the authority to undergo Starfire's testing, and focused her eyes on the last boy._

_He wasn't looking at her, and his stance was casual, but somehow, Raven knew he was completely aware of her eyes on him. "Why are you here?" she asked bluntly. _

"_How long is your friend going to hide there?" The boy jerked his head towards the shadows where Bruce was. Raven followed his gaze. If she hadn't been looking for him, it would have been impossible to spot Bruce. "How'd you—"_

"_I suspected that there was another, probably senior, probably Justice League member here. When you allowed Beast Boy onto your team after five minutes of combat, I knew for sure you must have someone else running scans and checks even as we speak. There aren't many places to hide on an island, fewer close enough to offer a good view."_

"_Observant," Raven said dryly. The boy finally turned and met her eyes. He smiled, "I'm an observant person."_

_Holding out a hand, he said, "I'd like to join your team as well. My parents died, caught in a gang fight when I turned ten. I've been an acrobat since I could walk and learned martial arts living on the streets, but my specialty is tactics and planning."_

_Cyborg, left arm slightly dented, nodded as he strode into Raven's view. "I know him, Rae. He's already basically doin' it on his own, stopping muggers, that sort of thing."_

_Raven met clear blue eyes, and felt a jolt of emotion she wasn't expecting. Pushing it away, she held out a hand. "Probation. We'll see what you can do later. For now, welcome to the team." Pausing, she added, "You never told me your name."_

_He smiled lopsidedly, and Raven told herself she wasn't going to smile back, no matter how cute he was. "Richard," he said, "Richard Grayson."_

* * *

><p><em>AN: Too much Raven? She's just such a good character, and so easy to write with, and I love to think about what she would've been like if the monks of Azarath hadn't taught her to suppress her emotions. Let me know what you guys think!_


	4. Flinx Eat Your Heart Out

**~ Flinx- Eat Your Heart Out ~**

_They called her Wasp, because when she stung, she stung hard, and she was blindingly small and bloody fast when she needed to be. She'd had other names once—Karen being the principal one—but they'd all seemed too weak, too gentle when she decided to go vigilante. She'd not been on the streets a week when she realized she needed a team—and badly. The next week, life deposited the HIVE Five right in front of her. Literally, in the form of the worst robbery she'd ever seen. _

_She followed them back to their base easily, and, taking a breath, slipped inside. It hadn't been easy convincing the group to take her as their new leader, but once she was in, she was _in_. She led the HIVE Five with an iron fist, training them into the most elite villain-team in the city. She was still working on national level, but with guys like Slade and Brother Blood, it was hard to get into the race—even with their reputation now._

_Wasp benched press more than twice her weight as she thought about her team, plotting out weaknesses and strengths, characteristics and possible betrayals. That was the thing she hated most about villainy—the inability to trust anyone but yourself. She pushed the thought away, letting her internal cataloging of her team consume her mind as she pushed the bar up again._

_Gizmo – Mechanical Marvel, Whiz Kid, and the one with the smart mouth and the ability to get them all killed if he made one mistake. Just one._

_Mammoth – Brawn, brains, and a voracious ability to destroy that made walls and doors his best targets._

_Kyd Wykkd – Silent, or mute. He was either incredibly clever, for he has never let her know if he can speak or not, or irreparably stupid for not utilizing such a skill._

_Angel – Beautiful, perfect Angel whose white wings hid muscles that killed even as they gave her the power of flight._

_And finally, Wasp herself – Invincible, untamable, as slight and enduring as the insect whose name she stole._

_Her team is special, powerful, and infamous among her city. Criminals doff their hats at Wasp rather than risking a "good morning." They barely have to do anything anymore—their mere presence is enough to turn the form of law sent to deal with them into a mumbling, shaking ball of incompetent fear._

_The rest of the HIVE loved it, but for Wasp, it wasn't enough. She could count on these people for fear, perhaps, or obedience, but once someone more threatening came along, someone like Brother Blood, she and her crew would be nothing. She needed to raise their status—make the HIVE so feared that nothing short of mind control could turn the people against them. Which meant weapons. Lots of them._

_Which was why she, along with her team, was a state away in Keystone City, breaking into one of the most high-tech buildings in the country. Gizmo cursed as he fiddled with the security system, taking a good ten minutes— he usually cracked the code in less than one—before the trip wires finally turned off._

_She dropped to the floor first, rolling silently to her feet, ears alert to see if her teammates would follow. Perhaps they'd betrayed her to the authorities. Perhaps Vito hadn't really disabled the wires, just gotten rid of their lighting. Perhaps one of the others had decided to overthrow her as HIVE leader—she heard the quiet thumps as the others followed, and relaxed. Betrayal would not come that night._

_They worked quickly and quietly, Bee making sure that none of her crew broke anything that would set off an alarm. By the end of the night, they'd gathered quite a stash of weapons, and Kyd was ready to transport them out._

"_Now, I just know you bunch aren't allowed to be here."_

_Wasp spun, Stingers instinctively out and blasting at the red-haired boy who leaned casually against a table. He dodged, moving so fast, she couldn't follow his movements. "That wasn't very nice," he chided, "But since you're so cute, I'll let it slide." He winked, and suddenly he was across the room to where Kyd was. Before the dark boy could react, the weapons were gone._

"_You flab-eating, greasy-haired idiot," Vito yelled, "We spent all night getting those!"_

_Idiot, Wasp thought, Vito chose the worst times to remind everyone he was still a child. Well, worst time for everyone else. It was actually a plus for him, reminding his opponents that he could not be sent to prison and hopefully getting them to underestimate him._

"_Well," the Flash, (it had to be the Flash, no one else could move that fast,) "You're welcome to spend all tomorrow night trying again. Then again, I'll probably have back-up then. Robin, Raven, maybe a Justice-Leaguer or two. In fact, please do try this tomorrow night."_

_Wasp blinked. Wait, that didn't make sense—she turned to face him. "Aren't you the Flash?" she demanded, "Wouldn't you be more sure about assistance from the Justice League than the Teen Titans?"_

_He stared at her for a couple minutes. "Wow, you are really cute when you're confused," he said finally, and Wasp felt her Stingers flare to life as she growled with frustration, "HIVE, attack!" she yelled, and threw herself at the Speedster._

_He was gone, of course, but she'd expected that, and used her forward momentum to spin herself around and blast pure energy at where the boy now stood. He yelped and dodged, evading Mammoth's clumsy punches easily. "Kyd," Wasp whispered as she felt him materialize beside her, "You're our best weapon right now. We need to capture him. If we can get the word out that we defeated the Flash, we'll be famous. Don't let him know you can teleport until you grab him."_

"_Until who grabs who?" he was suddenly next to her. Slinging an arm around her waist, he leaned forward, grinning. "If someone's going to do the grabbing, beautiful, I'd suggest you grabbing me. Or vice versa."_

_Oh, bad move. Wasp thought, and snapped a kick at his head. He was fast, but not even he could avoid one of her kicks while in such close proximity. He went skidding across the floor, right into Angel's path. Staring up at her perfect, alabaster features, he blinked. "Am I dad? Barry'll kill me."_

_Angel giggled, and then she grabbed him, flew into the air, and threw him against the ceiling. He crashed up into it, and then back down to the floor, where Vito was waiting. The younger boy quickly threw an electronic net over the Speedster, and with a push from his master remote, the boy was shocked into unconsciousness._

"_We have to get out," Wasp ordered as she finally noticed the alarm bells going off. "Kyd?"_

_The dark boy appeared. "Back home. Our city." He nodded, and in a brief flash of black mist and icy air, they were back. Wasp stumbled a little as she got her balance—teleportation always threw her off, just a little bit—and then straightened. Her team looked at her, and then at the red-haired boy that they'd captured._

"_Well?" Mammoth, surprisingly, was the one who asked first. "What we gonna do with him?"_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

1. **Identity**

"What do you mean, you're not the Flash?" Wasp demanded, "You've got the same red-hair and powers, you're in Keystone City—everything checks out!"

"Actually, I am sort of the Flash," the boy mumbled as he bit into a sandwich—his third, Wasp noticed, in as many minutes. "'Sjust word has 'Kid' n'front." He swallowed, and winked. "S'kay," he said, "I'm cuter anyway."

Wasp wondered if she could get Vito to zap the boy again, just so he would pass out for a couple minutes, but she needed answers.

"Kid Flash," she said, trying out the name, "Well, you should provide some sort of leverage against the real Flash, at least."

He huffed. "I resent that. I'm just as good as he is, and better when it comes to the ladies." Wasp cracked a smile at that. "See?" Kid crowed, "Now, I bet the _Flash_ couldn't have done that."

2. **Food**

"Do you realize, since you've come, we've had to steal almost six times as much food as we do regularly, you fat-assed, calorie-consuming waste-of-space?" Vito demanded, small face furious, "Isn't your kind's job to _prevent_ crime? Stop eating so much!"

Kid Flash shrugged, downing a burger in less than a minute, "My metabolism burns stuff fast," he said, "And you could just buy the food instead of stealing it. 'Sides, my ass is _not_ fat, it's a perfectly normal-shaped butt. And I've been told it's as sexy as he—"

"No swearing around the kids!" Wasp yelled from the other side of the room.

Vito rolled his eyes. "I swear, sometimes she's just like a mom. It's not like she doesn't know I know every possible cussword in like, five languages." He shrugged and turned. "Hey, I suppose if you want to delude yourself about your glutus maximum, that's your choice," he said, "But if you're getting your female input from Angel, just know that she thinks anything with a fully-functioning penis is sexy." He paused, "And Wasp likes her men muscled."

Wally watched him go, before surreptitiously reaching down to feel his behind. "Ah, as tight as ever," he thought contently, and chuckled, grabbing another hot-dog, "Kid's totally jealous of my ass."

3. **Dilemma**

"So I can't send out a ransom note to the Justice League, because it turns out he's not one of them, but as far as I can tell he's not officially part of the Teen Titans either, so that's no help. I can't get the word out that we captured him without proof, and if it becomes obvious that we're holding a vigilante, not a superhero, and no one's coming to get him, we'll be laughingstocks. And we can't just let him go, either."

"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity," Kid Flash noted from across the room. Wasp glared at him. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger," he said as she stalked over.

Putting her face inches from his until only Vito's net separated them, Wasp growled, "I was _talking _to Kyd." Turning around, she noticed that the spot where the dark boy had been was empty. "Elliot's got a short attention span," she said, and whirled back around, "And he's so damn quiet I don't realize he's gone until I look up and…" her voice trailed off.

"You're wrong, you know."

That made her pause. "About what?"

"About them not coming for me. Just because I'm not part of their groups doesn't mean they don't care about me. Get the word out, and you'll have superheroes pounding your door in as soon as it goes viral."

Wasp snorted. "Really? Aren't you being a little naïve? You're not one of them, therefore, they don't have to protect you. Why would they waste valuable time and resources to save your sorry ass?"

"First of all," Kid said indignantly, "My ass is _gorgeous_, second, they're my friends. Friends don't love you because you're useful. They love you because you're you." His eyes softened as they looked at her. "But maybe you've never really had a real friend," he said quietly, and wasn't surprised when she stalked away.

4. **Conversations**

She kept coming back to the conversation they'd had the night before, albeit in the strangest ways. "You can't trust anyone," she said suddenly as she vacuumed the floor around his prison, "Unless they have something they want from you, that only you can give, they'll betray you in the end."

"And what does the HIVE need from you?" Kid asked.

Wasp didn't pause. "My leadership," she said, "My orders in a battle and my ability to keep my cool when things go wrong."

"Vito's pretty good at giving orders," Kid observed, "And you can't get cooler than Elliot."

She stalked away again, and Kid watched her go, admiring the view. She'd stop running eventually, but until she did, he was going to enjoy the backside of her uniform to the utmost degree.

5. **Names**

"Shouldn't you be more careful about the way you call each other by your first names?" Kid asked, "I mean, once I get free, I might just track you all down and then what'll you do?"

The HIVE looked at each other and burst out laughing. Even Wasp cracked a smile. "You think we're a whole bunch of rich kids who steal for the heck of it?" Vito demanded, "You really are a pansy-assed, mutten-eatin' cretin."

Angel nodded. "Look us up all you want, honey," she said, "People like us don't exist on the system. We don't count enough."

6. **Video Games**

Mammoth knew he wasn't supposed to, but he was really bored and everyone else was out and wouldn't be back for hours. Besides, Kid Flash promised not to run away, and he was a good guy, so he couldn't lie. And he was really good at Mario Karts. So, as soon as the others left, Baran opened Kid's cage and let him out. The two would battle using whatever game Baran felt up to playing that day, and when they heard the others returning, Kid would get back into the cage and Mammoth would shut the door.

7. **Wings**

She tried to seduce him the first night he stayed, but he shrugged and said he wasn't interested, despite the haze of pain that was the aftershock of the net. Two days later, she tried again, and then four days after that. It became a regular thing, her coming down and night dressed in almost nothing and him refusing to play her game.

After a month, he finally asked her why she kept coming when she knew he'd just say no.

"I live in perpetual hope," she said breezily, but then paused, "And I like you. You're the only one who says no, and that means you're a good guy. I want to make sure you stay good so when Karen stops being an idiot, she won't get hurt." Her snow-white wings fluttered delicately as she sighed. "And now, the purpose of the exercise has been negated by me voicing it, and I must figure out another way to test your virtue."

Kid smiled at her. "You're a good person, Angel," he said sincerely.

Angel smiled, her wings glowing slightly. "Well, it comes with the rest of it all," she said flippantly, tossing perfect blond hair over a smooth shoulder. "I have _wings_, for heaven's sake."

8. **Clothes**

When Elliot suddenly materialized with a heavily bleeding Wasp and an unconscious Vito, Wally knew he had to act fast. Slipping out of the cage—he'd learned to months ago after watching Mammoth navigate the locks a couple times—he rushed to the teleporter and took Vito from him. "They need help," he said urgently, "We need to get them out of their uniforms."

Kyd nodded, and then promptly disappeared. He reappeared moments later with civilian apparel and got to work changing Vito, working as delicate as possible. Kid Flash watched him for a second, until the dark boy looked up, glared at him, and pointed urgently at Wasp. Wally could feel his mind fizzing out. "Uh…"

Kyd rolled his eyes, and jerked his hand more insistently. Wally gulped, and then started stripping the girl. "Please don't kill me when you wake up," he muttered, trying his best not to look as he peeled off her top and tights. She groaned as he started sliding up the sweat-pants Kyd had brought, and he froze, but she didn't open her eyes. He pulled the loose T-shirt over head, being careful not to jostle the wound in her side. Kyd had improvised, using a plastic bag as a quick bandage, but it wouldn't hold back the blood long.

Kid looked at her, at Vito, and finally at Elliot. "Take us to the nearest hospital," he said finally, "I'll take care of the rest."

9. **Trust**

When Wasp woke up, it was to the sight of a boy with red hair, freckles, and very worried eyes. "Kid Flash?" she asked groggily, "You don't have your mask on. S'nice." He smiled at her. "Couldn't pay for medical care in a mask," he explained, "I had to prove who I really was."

"Was who?" Wasp asked, trying to sit up. He put a restraining hand on her shoulder, pushing her down again. "_No_, Karen, you got hurt pretty bad. Let it heal."

Memories of the battle made Karen's eyes widen. "Vito!"

"He's fine," Kid Flash assured her, "He came out of intensive care two days ago, and is healing. He's sleeping in the bed next to yours." Wasp turned her head and saw him. Even in his sleep he was muttering, but he looked so small that she couldn't help the tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry." Kid Flash rubbed her shoulder comfortingly, "Isn't seeing my face enough to cheer you up?"

Karen glanced at him. "No." she said flatly, "That was a stupid thing to do. I know your secret identity now, _Wally West_." She looked pointedly at his visitor's wristband, "And I can identify you if I ever want to find you."

"And how is that a bad thing?" Wally's face was completely serious. "Karen, you're not a villain. This isn't what you should be doing. Turn around, join the Titans, or come with me. We'll be unstoppable, the Dynamic Duo, Kid Flash and Wasp, you and me."

She shook her head, opened her mouth to protest, and then found she couldn't, because Kid Flash was kissing her rather insistently, and she found that she really wanted to kiss him back. When they finally broke apart, she stared at him, eyes wide. He was looking more serious than she'd ever seen him. "Karen, trust me." He said, "I won't let you down."

And she believed him.

XXXXXXXXXX

"_This isn't a good idea," she said, pulling on her sleek black dress, "I've fought against some of these people before, back when I was HIVE, and before."_

"_So did Vito, Elliot, Angel, and Baran, and they seem to be doing fine." Wally slung an arm around his girlfriend's waist. "Don't worry," he said, grinning down at her, "If anyone even looks at you wrong, your big, bad boyfriend will blow them all down." While she'd opted into dressing as Angelina Jolie, he'd gone all out for his "big bad Wolf" costume. Karen had to admit it looked good on him, a combination of scruffiness and danger that made her shiver in a good way._

_They were at the door now, and she could hear the party going on inside. Someone laughed and another person shrieked as the sound of water splashing incited another round of laughter. She could recognize certain voices—Speedy, whom she'd flipped over the side of a building, Starfire, whom she'd collapsed a building on top of, Argent, whom she'd nearly hospitalized—she froze. "Wally—"_

_She couldn't do this, she wasn't like the others. In the year after the hospital incident and Wally's offer for them to start over, Vito had started partnering with Cyborg and opened up his own tech building, inventing new machinery for the Titans on the side. Elliot and Baran both became full-time Titans, and Angel, unexpectedly, decided to travel. Last time Karen had heard, the girl was flying to Las Vegas to see the sights. The place wouldn't know what hit it._

_From what Wally had promised and her team-mates themselves had said, they were happy. Things had been awkward at first, but, as Vito put it, "the slum-bucket, snot-nosed losers would have to be idiots not to totally dig us." They, however, had not been the leader of HIVE. They hadn't been the ones giving orders. If the Teen Titans were going to blame anyone, it would be her, "Wasp," or, as Karen now went by, "Bumblebee."_

_She'd taken up Wally on his offer and became his full-time partner. They'd kicked butt from Keystone City all the way to the East Coast, and then back to the West, and Karen had felt happy for the first time. People liked her, trusted her to protect them, and she never turned away when they asked for her help. She'd learned to trust Wally over the last year, had learned to trust herself and the people's belief in her, but now, as she stood looking at the doors to Titan's Tower, she felt like running._

_And then Wally wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, spun her, and kissed her firmly. "Karen, they'll love you," he promised, "Trust me."_

_And she did._

* * *

><p><em>Can anyone think of a good name for the pairing, BumblebeeKid Flash? I really enjoyed writing this piece because I wanted to take a break from Raven, and while I love Flinx, I wanted to try something new. So, what do you guys think? Let me know!  
><em>


	5. A Different Kind of Flinx Story

_Written for RaginaCaelum, who was kind enough to let me know her preference for Jinx/Kid Flash and yet compliment me at the same time. Hope you enjoy this, and thanks so much to all my awesome reviewers! If you guys have any ideas for future chapter ideas, (or pairings) let me know!_

* * *

><p><strong>~ A Different Kind of Flinx Story ~<strong>

_Not for the first time, Kid Flash wondered if villainy was worth it. He could hear Gizmo cackling behind him, making the lights of the building go off and on—one at a time. "Yeah, you're so the genius of the group," he thought grumpily, but hey, the kid had cracked the supposedly impenetrable Museum of Keystone City. He zipped through the place quickly, taking note of every display case, hoping one would catch his eye and make this trip worth it._

_Jewels, jewels, gold, jewels—didn't anyone preserve anything interesting anymore? He was going to kill Seymour if the kid's source had been another dud. There'd been too many of those recently, and every heist had seemed wrong—as if someone was one step ahead of him, watching him from the shadows and somehow making everything go wrong._

_Kyd Wykyyd materialized in front of him, and Wally barely managed to keep from running straight into him. "Watch it, El," he snapped, "You better have something for me." The teleporter shrugged, face infuriatingly blank. Only someone who really knew him would have been able to discern the slight smirk that played around the dark boy's lips. Wally had known Elliot for six years. He was wondering if he could punch faster than Elliot could teleport when the other boy, who was observing the annoyance growing in Wally's eyes, gestured simply to the left, and then the right, and then the left again._

_Wally frowned, and Elliot repeated the motion, before sighing silently, forming a portal, and shoving Wally through it. He landed on his butt, sliding along the floor before skidding to a halt. He was up in an instant. "Elliot, what the hell—" The teleporter wasn't there. Wally ground his teeth. Stupid, mute, jerk-face, idiot. He clenched his fist, looking for something to hit, and then realized that he stood in a room he hadn't seen, despite having explored all the rooms the Museum supposedly had. Glancing to the side, he realized that he was actually between the first and second floor, with a barely discernable trapdoor above him._

_Elliot, you idiot genius. _

_He glanced around, noting the artifacts, the strange looking weapons, and most of all, the pendants. These didn't shine like the jewelry he'd discarded, but burned with an inner fire. He found the one that he'd been searching for, and, quickly opening the glass case, took out an amber necklace with "fortuna secunda" engraved on it._

"_It means, 'good luck,'" came a voice from behind. Kid Flash spun, holding the necklace instinctively behind his back with one hand, the other one out and ready to balance him if he should start running. He saw her right away, a slim, pale girl with pink hair done up into a horn-like hairstyle. She was wearing something black, purple, and sleek, more modest than the average superheroine's costume, but still easy to move in. The outfit, paired with her skin and hair would have made anyone else look ridiculous, but she managed to pull the look off. He finished his perusal and glanced up at her face, only to meet cat-like pink eyes._

"_I'm Jinx," she said, holding out a hand. Wally knew better than to take it. He'd never seen, or heard of this girl, but if she was here, in a secret room in the middle of his heist, than the chances were very good that she was here to drag him to jail. Or, she could be another villain, which Wally highly doubted. He didn't think many other villains wanted a necklace that was supposed to provide good luck._

_She'd finally dropped her hand, and had placed it on her hip. "You know, it's usually considered polite to greet a person when they tell you their name," she said, "But hey. You're a villain. What did I expect?"_

_Whoa there. He was two feet from her in as many seconds, despite having been across the room moments before. Grabbing the hand she'd propped on her waist, he kissed it, and then looked up into her startled gaze. "Kid Flash," he said, and winked. This was her cue to blush and look away, and then he was as good as gone._

_She didn't look away, though her cheeks were a bit pink. "Now that we've met each other," she said, "Why don't you tell me why exactly you're doing this?"_

_Kid Flash frowned, intentionally playing dumb. "Doing what?"_

_Jinx threw up her hands. "Stealing! You're a rich kid, or at least, that's what Robin told me—you don't need the money. And even if you did, with your skills, you could be doing anything! Why are you hanging out with a bunch of third-rate criminals when you could be doing so much more with your life?"_

"_Ok, first of all. Tell Birdboy to keep his beak out of my business. Secondly—" he was in her face now, nose inches away from hers, and his eyes were fierce behind the mask, "Who are you to tell me who or who I shouldn't be?"_

_Jinx glared straight back. "I'm the girl who's going to drag your ass to jail if you don't reform. You're too good for this, and if you can't figure that out on your own, it looks like I'll have to show you the hard way. Her eyes glowed pink and suddenly Wally found himself thrown backwards onto the ground, without the necklace. He was back on his feet instantly and racing towards her, but she was ready and with another snap of her fingers, he was on his back again._

_What the hell?_

_He raced for the trapdoor this time, managing to race through even as pink energy nipped at his heels. She leapt out after him moments later, pausing for a moment to seal the door with magic—it had to be magic—behind her. He wouldn't be going back in there anytime soon. Wally ran, picking up as many valuables as he could. "Time to go!" he yelled as he whipped past Gizmo. The younger boy yelped and turned to insult him, then caught sight of Jinx. "Crap!" he squeaked, and started yelling for the others._

_Wally ran. Normally, he'd be out of there already, but there was no way his team could outrun Jinx's magic—whatever it was—and no matter how much they annoyed him, they were still his team. He purposely cornered himself in a room, knowing she'd follow. The moment she stepped inside the door he ran straight into her, pinning her arms above her head. She shot pink sparks, but they shot straight up into the ceiling as he put pressure on her wrists._

"_Unless you want to bring the building on top of us," he said, leaning closer, "You better stop."_

_Jinx stopped, eyes narrowed. Then suddenly, she smiled. "You're doing this for your team, aren't you? You're letting them escape."_

_Wally refused to let her distract him, holding her tighter against the wall. His legs were between hers now, and he shifted his weight so that he could pin her hands with just one of his. She really was ridiculously skinny for a girl who was only a few inches shorter than him. "You're wrong," he said, "I'm doing this for me. As soon as they get out, I'll knock you out and take back that necklace. That's why I let you corner me here."_

_Jinx smile grew. "You still admitted that you're waiting for them to leave before you try to take me."_

"_Only because they're a liability." Wally readied his fist, making it vibrate. He'd have to time the hit just right to knock her out completely—and then Jinx smashed her foot into a nearby display case, shattering it and causing the alarms to start shrieking. "The cops will be here in minutes," she said, "Better get out."_

_Wally glared down at her. "You were going to do that all along," he accused, not letting her out of the hold he had her in._

"_Yeah, pretty much."_

"_So why'd you ask all those questions—talk about me being too good for this and all that shit?"_

_Jinx looked him straight in the eye, which wasn't hard to do since his face was barely centimeters from hers. He felt the warmth of her breath as she said quietly, "Because I think everyone deserves a chance to get their life right." She smirked. "You still have a chance to turn a new leaf, Kid Flash, but Keystone police aren't too forgiving. Let me go and get out of here. I win this round."_

_Wally's eyes narrowed, and Jinx felt a moment of pure shock as he leaned forward and kissed her aggressively. She froze, and then found herself responding. His kiss grew deeper, and when his tongue probed a sensitive place, she moaned into his mouth. That seemed to be what the speedster had been waiting for. With a smirk that matched hers just a few seconds before, he pulled away, leaving her panting, saluted her and then was gone, a dark blur disappearing out the door._

_Jinx touched her lips, and then sighed, getting to her feet. She had the feeling this wouldn't be the last time she saw the self-proclaimed "fastest villain alive."_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

1. **Distracted**

"You're still thinking about her, ain't ya?" Billy Number 1 said. Billy Number 2 laughed. "'Course he is, the sucker's completely head-over-heels."

"Shut up, Billy," Wally mumbled, "You're delusional." He started up the stairs to his bedroom and promptly fell flat on his face.

"Yeah," Billy Number 3 commented to Number 4, "_We're_ the delusional ones." A flash of dark navy shoved him into the other clones, and they tumbled onto the ground. Number 1 grinned at the others, "He's totally in love."

2. **Opinions**

"You're a stupid-headed, phlegm-belching, ugly-lookin' toad. Please tell me you're not insane too."

"Dating heroes never work, pal. If it did, me and all my clone would be serenadin' Starfire right about now."

"You got to do what you think is right, of course. But if you die, can I have the costume?"

Wally was really tired of people giving him unwanted, (and, according to him, unneeded) advice. He was _not_ pining after Jinx, was _not _anything more than physically attracted to her. After all they'd basically memorized each other's mouths the last time they'd met, and he really wanted a Round 2.

3. **Obvious**

She starts showing up at every single one of his heists. His teammates complain, and Kid Flash carps about it the loudest, but he suspects her flawless attendance has less to do with her powers of detection and more to do with the fact that he's been less than careful about blabbing his next target in a very reputable, and very _gossipy _bar.

4. **Kiss**

The next time they meet each other she tries to hex him right away. He's done some research and he dodges, coming up under her blow to pin her against the wall again. They're in the exact same position they were last time, except now they were in a bank and there was nothing within kicking distance. Jinx's chest was panting from the exertion and she licked her lips unconsciously, then realized he was watching that move very intently. She wasn't too surprised when he kissed her again.

5. **Civilian**

He catches her wandering around in the park one day and decides to join her, incognito. She's suspicious from the first—he's a bit flattered she knows him that well—and he has to back of quickly to avoid detection. He follows her from a distance after that, and soon realizes that she stops to smell every single rose in the area, no matter how small.

5. **Rose**

He starts leaving roses in her hands after they kiss. They're small roses, natural and therefore easily killed. But she never throws them away, and he never wonders where they go.

6. **Routine**

Break into a place near Jinx, find Jinx, battle Jinx, pin Jinx, kiss Jinx, leave Jinx. All very straightforward, except Kid Flash knew his life really shouldn't revolve around the times that he could see the pink-haired witch.

7. **Mold**

It must be one of those things that grows on you, because Kid Flash finds that he doesn't scoff as loudly at Jinx's insistence that he could turn hero. It doesn't mean he actually believes her, or anything, it's just that their times are too short for him to waste arguing with her about morality.

8. **Ending**

"They're coming back," she tells him when he breaks into the Museum of Natural History and finds her perched atop a dinosaur. "The original Titans. I've just been watching over this place for them—when they come back, I'll leave."

They don't say what they both know she's thinking. _Do you care enough to follow me?_ Jinx doesn't say it because she's doesn't know the answer, and Wally doesn't because he does, and it scares him. So he grabs a vase and disappears into the night.

9. **Moping**

It takes two hours of shouting from Gizmo, three smacks from Mammoth, seven _very_ explicit drawings from Elliot and fifteen minutes of several Billies threatening to sing American Pie—but Wally finally agreed to leave his room. The others watched as he shifted listlessly through Mammoth's best waffles, and exchanged glances. There was only one solution for this.

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_She wasn't looking for him. Really, she doesn't think he'll come. She hasn't spent the last week tossing and turning, hoping that he'd actually considered her words, actually heard her pleas. She hasn't bought an extra ticket, just in case. She hasn't been fruitlessly searching the crowd for the last hour. She hasn't._

_Jinx rubbed her eyes, forcing them not to fill with tears. She'd expected this, had told herself endlessly that Kid Flash had been a villain for far too long for her to change him in a month. Even if that month had been one of the best in her life—she had no proof that he came to her for more than the kissing._

"_You're lucky you never let him get any farther than that," a part of her whispered venomously, "or he would have left sooner."_

_Jinx ignored the side of her brain that seemed determined to make her cry. Instead, she squared her shoulders and prepared to board the train. At the last minute, she glanced back, and frowned. There was something wrong with the way that man was standing, as if he wasn't even touching the ground—_

_Kyd Wykyyd._

_She leapt forward, but the teleporter seemed to sense her presence and fled. She'd chased him out of the train station, into the street, and down an alley, before she paused and realized something, He could teleport. So why wasn't he teleporting?_

_Pure instinct saved her. She threw herself to the ground, the dart missing her neck by inches. Whirling, she heard a muffled, "Crud!" before she let loose, hexing into the darkness. It wasn't enough. The last thing she felt was a prick of a dart slamming into her shoulder before everything went black._

"_Wake up, cretins!" Wally groaned, opening his eyes. Somewhere beside him, he saw Jinx moving unsteadily to her feet. "What just happened?" she asked blearily, then focused on him. "Kid Flash? What are you doing here?"_

"_No idea." He saw the flash of hope in her eyes die as he said the words, and wished he could take them back. "Jinx—"_

"_Save the soap opera for later," Gizmo's voice came again, and Wally looked up irritably to find a little screen with Gizmo's face on it. The boy was gagging mockingly, and Wally resisted the urge to remind Gizmo that he could probably get back to Keystone faster than Gizmo could get away from it. "What did you do?" he asked instead._

_Gizmo rolled his eyes. "You were so full of angst that the gang decided you were less than useless. We drugged your waffles and dumped you on the train with little Ms. Let's-hex-the-guy-who's-actually-going-to-help-her-get-laid!" He glared at her. "You smashed my new master remote. Do you have any idea how long it took her me to make that?"_

_Jinx glared right back. "You insufferable little brat," she hissed, "When I get back—"_

_Wally interrupted. "When _we_ get back," he corrected, ignoring her surprised glance, "_We'll _make you wish you never thought of this plan, Vito." Gizmo rolled his eyes._

"_You guys are so overdramatic." The Whiz Kid smirked. "Besides, I took the precaution of dumping you and your girlfriend into a boxcar normally reserved for containing villains like Plasma and Adonis. It's magically enhanced by Raven herself, and as much as your magic sucks, I doubt you can top that." The screen flickered. "Oh, I almost forgot. Elliot said to give you this."_

_A single sheet of paper fell out, and Wally realized it was a drawing. Of him and Jinx. Kissing._

_He glanced at the witch, who was trying in vain to dent to metal walls. Her hexes just got absorbed, and Jinx cursed half-demonesses who were far too good at their work. Turning to him, she sighed. "Sorry."_

_He shrugged. "Hey, it was my idiot friends who got us into this, but I accept your apology nonetheless—provided I get a kiss."_

_She rolled her eyes. "I meant, 'sorry, I can't hex our way out.'" She flushed. "What makes you think I'll kiss you anyway? You weren't coming. You didn't care about me."_

_Wally felt his heart drop as she turned her back on him, resolutely staring at the wall. Her shoulders hunched, she made a strange noise, and Wally realized with a pang that she was trying not to cry. "Jinx—"_

"_I don't want to talk to you."_

_He walked over anyway and hugged her. "I'm really messed up, y'know?" he said, "I've been a villain my whole life. You couldn't possibly have expected me to turn hero in a month."_

_She stiffened against him. "No, but I expected you to try. For me. You wouldn't have had to join the Teen Titans, you could have been a civilian. We could have finally gone out on a real date." She stopped, refusing to look at him. "But you didn't even care enough to try to stop me. You're stupid friends had to drug you to get you here, and the moment we get out, you'll be gone." She turned her tear-filled eyes on him, and Wally flinched at the emotions broiling in them. "I'd rather you not stay so close, Kid Flash, considering you broke my heart."_

"_Wally." He said it without thinking, and her eyes widened. "Wally West."_

_She choked. "What the hell do you think—"_

"_Well, if we're going to travel together you have to stop calling me 'Kid Flash.' It's such a mouthful, and it makes me think of a detergent ad.. 'Jinx,' on the hand, conveys the perfect sense of mystery, allure, and sexiness." He smiled at her, and to his relief she wasn't hexing him away._

_Jinx couldn't believe her ears. "Are you saying—"_

_Kid Flash—Wally—shrugged. "I don't know if I'll ever turn hero," he said honestly, "But I do know I want to be with you, and you're too good for some villain, even if he is the fastest villain in the world." He paused, watching the struggle in her eyes. "I know this isn't the best place for a real date," he said, "But it's a start."_

_He took off his mask. "Hello, I'm Wally West. Nice to meet you."_


	6. A Hairy Revenge

_Author's Note: Reviews and suggestions please. Make my day and inspire me to write another chapter—or don't. Hope you guys like it!_

* * *

><p><strong>~A Hairy Revenge~<strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>Fine, <em>fine. _Please. There, you made me say it—you happy?"_

_A shake of the head._

"_Pretty, pretty please?"_

_Another shake, followed by a little grin._

_Speedy sighed, got down on one knee, and clasped his hands together. "Jericho, you are the most kick-ass, awesome superhero in the history of the world. Please do this humble servant the honor of possessing my body so I won't do something stupid at the ball and have Bee castrate me."_

_The blond boy beamed at him and nodded, signing something rapidly._

"_No comprendo," Speedy said irritably. For someone that the Titan girls praised as the sweetest, gentlest male ever to grace the planet, Jericho could be an infuriatingly cocky smart-aleck. The boy sighed dramatically and mimicked writing._

_Speedy tossed him a pad and pen, and watched as the boy scribbled down something. When Jericho pushed it back, Speedy read, "My eyes won't look the same as yours." Speedy pushed the pad back, then smirked. "That's why I keep these on, blondie," he tapped his mask, "I'm not about to reveal my secret identity at the Mayor's Ball, no matter how gorgeous my eyes are."_

_Jericho jot down another question. "Why don't you tell Bee I'll be you? I'm sure she won't mind."_

_Speedy glanced at Jericho suspiciously after he read the note. Jericho smiled back innocently, green eyes as wide and untainted as emeralds. Freaking Bambi eyes—no wonder he had Starfire and Raven eating out of his hands._

"_She'll probably throw a hissy fit about me not being responsible or some shit," he said. Jericho raised an eyebrow. "Yes, it is that bad," Speedy continued, running his hand carefully through his hair in frustration. "You don't live with her twenty-four seven, twelve months a year."_

_Jericho smirked. When the pad landed in his face, Speedy read, "I was going to say that you probably deserve it." He looked up, but the green-eyed boy was already gone. A second note lay on the table. "I'll be here at seven. Take a shower."_

"_Freakin' pretty-boy," Speedy grumbled, crumpling up the note. "You better be the best-behaved kiss ass at the Ball." He got up, deposited them in the trash can, and stalked off. Jericho watched from behind the door, and smirked. _

_Kiss-ass, huh? Well, unfortunately, that just wasn't how Jericho did things._

_Besides, he's always wanted to get Speedy back for when the archer purposely mistook him for a girl. Seven times in a row. Seeing the look on the archer's face when all the Titan girls within earshot rushed to his defense had been sweet, but Jericho always believed that a score personally settled was the sweetest of all._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

1. **Hair**

The first thing Jericho did in Speedy's body was to make sure the boy had followed his instructions. Luckily, Speedy had indeed taken a shower, but he'd also stuck so much gel into his hair and Jericho felt woozy. He was afraid that Bee would get suspicious when he showed up in a suit and his hair all mussed up, but she was too busy lecturing the twins on proper behavior to notice him.

Aqualad gave him a look of surprise though, and Jericho shot him a pleading look, counting on the Atlantian's inherent good manners to kick in. The dark-haired boy politely turned away without comment, though Jericho caught the small smirk at the corner of his mouth. The twins, however, weren't so tactful.

"Senor el Pelo Grande!" they shrieked, spinning around him, "Que tal?" Jericho groaned as he looked up to meet Bumblebee's incredulous gaze.

"_Roy?"_

2. **Interrogation**

"Don't you think this is a bit much, Bee?"

"Al, his hair _isn't _gelled. It's _mussed_, for heaven's sake! This is _not_ Speedy, and I'm going to find out who he is."

"Si! Si! Tortura!"

"_No_ _Tortura_," Aqualad said firmly, "Let's try something a little less violent first." Turning to a bound Jericho, he asked, "What kind of fish did I have for lunch?

Jericho scrutinized the Atlantian Prince, but found no answer in his eyes. The others, who seemed to all know something he didn't, watched him with the same blank gaze. Even the twins weren't giving him any clues.

Jericho gulped, and hazarded a guess, "Salmon?"

There was a silence, and then four murderous bodies were shooting towards him. "_WHAT DID YOU DO WITH SPEEDY?"_

3. **Lucky**

Jericho is very sure that he would have been nothing but a pile of electrocuted, dripping muck on the ground if Mas, (or was it Menos), hadn't pulled off his mask at the exact same time that Bee happened to glance at him. He threw every bit of his best pleading Bambi eyes at her, and she froze.

"_STOP!"_

4. **Protection**

"Aw, did the big bad Speedy make you do this?" Bee cooed as she stroked his hair, "You poor, poor, thing."

Jericho refrained from speaking, knowing that Speedy's less-than-boyish voice would ruin Bee's maternal moment. And right now, the winged girl's arms was the only thing keeping a murderous Aqualad from tearing his head off.

5. **Deal**

"He lied to his team."

"He wasn't exactly crazy about Bee's threat to castrate him."

"And you're not planning to humiliate him in public? You like revenge, Jericho. When Beast Boy cracked that blondie joke last Christmas, you arranged a blind date with him and that fifty-something animal-hater."

"Ok—I get your point. And yeah, I was going to embarrass him a little. I mean, even you have to admit he's a jerk sometimes. I seem to remember someone complaining about 'fish tacos,' or something?"

"…you have a point."

6. **Flirting**

Jericho made a point of flirting with every ineligible female in the room, and ignoring those that the archer would have normally approached. He winked at the thirty-something waitress while politely removing his arm from the teenage socialite's grasping hands.

Aqualad was always there to soften the blow of his rejection. The Atlantian Prince was gentle, charming, and a complete gentleman—leading the heartbroken girls to the dance floor and more often than not leaving with a phone number. He made a face as he cornered Jericho in the bathroom. "By Poseidon, what am I supposed to with all this?"

Jericho shrugged. "Recycle it, throw them away, make a poster and use it to torture Speedy."

Aqualad gave the boy a calculating look. "You know, for a moment there, I actually thought you _were_ Speedy. Maybe it's because both of you act like asses dressed up as mermaids." He smirked. "Make sure you don't let the girls hear you talking like that, or you'll lose your 'innocent-child' reputation faster than a porpoise can flip."

7. **Clumsy**

Jericho hates feeling helpless, but when the two-hundred pound boar crashes through the doors of the ballroom and people start screaming, he sees the other Titan's East pull out their weapons and realizes he can't do a thing. Bee is charging with her stingers lighting up the room, Aqualad's already freezing the boar's feet, and the twins are rapidly bundling the animal up in whatever material they can find.

Jericho tries to draw an arrow and manages to shoot it—but he's way off and the explosion the projectile results in a crater in the ground rather than a stunned mega-boar.

8. **Murphy's Law**

Of all the people to show up, did it have to be _Green Arrow_? He's not sure what relationship the man has with Speedy, but the way G.A.'s been teasing him about his shot has to mean something. Jericho wants to duck away or crawl under a rock when Bee starts to comfort him and Arrow winks conspiratorially at him.

He really doesn't want to know why him apparent mentor is whispering "go get her," in his ear.

9. **Considerate**

"I don't get it. Why didn't you just unpossess him and get the boar?" Aqualad asked as they drove home.

"If I do it too suddenly, I could have damaged his brain cells," Jericho explained, his head in Bee's lap as the girl played with his hair. _She's always wanted to do this—not to me, but to Speedy. Interesting._

Aqualad's gaze softened. "Yeah, I suppose the big idiot can't afford to lose any of those." He paused. "Thanks. I can't imagine being stuck in someone else's body and not being able to defend myself because of it."

10. **Complete**

So, in conclusion, he managed to get zero phone numbers, two married women infatuated with him, and a night of ribbing from the man who apparently mentored Speedy before the archer came to the Teen Titans. Jericho gives a rueful smile when he bids the ball goodnight and goes back to the tower with Titan's East—all in all, it's not a bad night.

And it isn't over. "Guys," he asked, turning to the rest of Titan's East, "Can I ask you a favor?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"_HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?" Speedy's shriek tore through the Tower as the archer shot through the doors and into the kitchen. _

_Bee looked up, glanced at his hair, and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're back."_

_Roy froze. "What do you mean?"_

_Bee's face was too blank, her smile too sweet. "It was nice of you to lie to your teammates and irresponsibly ditch the ball, Roy. Quite gentlemanly, in fact. You're lucky I happen to find Jericho wonderful company, or my hands would be in your face right now instead of cooking pancakes."_

_Roy blanched. "Uh, you're welcome?"_

_Bee grinned. "Not good enough. Mas, Menos? Now."_

_Immediately the two popped out from behind the couch, armed with cameras. Roy was fast, instinctively racing for the door, but Aqualad stood there, a smirk on his face. "Two words, Speedy," the Prince said with a smile, "Fish. Tacos."_

_He heard the pictures snap, and Speedy threw his arms up in the air. "GIVE ME THAT!"_

"_Actually, it kind of is," Bee noted, watching as the boy started chasing the twins around the room, trying in vain to catch the camera. She settled back with a contented sigh, taking a swig of coffee. The all-nighter they pulled was totally worth this result._

_Pulling out her own camera, she called, "Hey, Speedy! Say, 'Bumblebee's the freakin' best leader in the world!"_

_Speedy looked up, mouth open, and Bee managed to get the perfect shot of the archer leaping through the air, legs spread, arms up. She grinned as the masked archer finally gave up, sinking to the floor in despair. "My hair," he groaned, massaging the place where he'd once had hair. "My beautiful hair…all gone…all gone…"_

_Aqualad rolled his eyes. "Speedy?"_

"_Don't talk to me. I don't want to live."_

"_Roy."_

"_I can't believe I let that green-eyed freak do this to me…"_

"_ROY! It's a bald cap."_

_Speedy looked up very slowly, eyes narrowed. "What?"_

_Bee gave him a smug look. "Jericho wanted to actually cut your hair, but we thought that would be too traumatic, considering all the love you give it. So, we decided to do the next best thing."_

_Speedy's eyes were slowly filling with anger, and Bee was disturbed at how closely the archer resembled a furious Raven at that moment. "Jericho," the boy hissed. He pulled off the cap, his hair springing out like fireworks and standing out just as crazily._

"_JERICHO!"_

_XXXXXXXXX_

_Far away, safely back on his mountaintop, Jericho grinned at the pictures Bee had just sent him. "How's that for a smart-aleck, girly, pretty boy?" he thought smugly as he flipped through the various shots of Speedy's "bald" head."_

_Ah, revenge was sweet._


	7. Tiny Is As Tiny Does

**~ Tiny Is As Tiny Does ~**

* * *

><p><em>The girl was tiny. She was literally a couple inches short of five feet, and as she walked along the streets of downtown Star City, where pedestrians jostled each other for elbow space and pick-pockets tried their luck with anyone who looked as if they might have a wallet, she looked even smaller.<em>

_It wasn't just her size that made her stand out. The girl's shoulder-length bright pink hair drew plenty of attention, and the pair of delicate antennae that sported from her head made even the bleary-eyed drunks give her curious glances._

_Despite these oddities, she might have passed for a child whose older siblings tricked into dressing for Halloween three months too late, except that she was dressed in a thin dress with a bell-shaped skirt that ended at her knees. In the middle of a Star City blizzard._

_The snow coated her rosy cheeks, but other than the occasional flick of her hair to clear the snow from her body, the girl didn't seem to mind the below-freezing weather. In fact, she didn't seem to be very mindful of anything at all. Her eyes were downcast, and she clutched something in the palm of her right hand._

_It was this something that caused the half-stoned homeless man to attack her. He couldn't see much past the haze that surrounded his vision, but he did notice the way the girl clutched the item protectively in her hand, and reckoned that it was something valuable. Perhaps he could even sell it for another batch of dope to keep him warm in this cursed weather._

_So he attacked, a knife flashing brightly in the sunlight. Bystanders turned to watch interestedly, and those too close screamed and tried to push away. Only one old woman tried to call the police, but by the time she got her phone out, it was too late._

_The girl was bent over in the snow, clutching her stomach, where the knife was sunk to the hilt. The object previously sheltered from the storm tumbled out of her hand. It was a wooden carving—a crudely-shaped heart—and it spun as it tumbled onto the snowy ground. The mugger stared at it in disbelief before giving a yell of frustration. Turning on his heel, he stomped on the carving, pushing it deeper into the snow._

_He never saw the blow coming. It was like someone had taken a baseball bat to his head, and in some ways it was just like that, for the girl had somehow managed to stand up, seemingly unharmed, and whacked the man upside the head with her arm._

_Her silver, glittering, _rock-solid_ arm. _

"_You mean man!" she yelled, and kicked him, her arm turning back to normal as she pulled the dented knife from her crystallized belly. There wasn't a scratch on her. "Gnarrk gave that to me!"_

_Her voice caught in her throat in a half-sob, and the girl drew back her foot to kick the man again, the limb turning ice-white as it transformed into pure crystal. She aimed a kick at the man's head, but suddenly there were warm—almost hot—arms holding her back, and she felt herself being pulled away._

"_Trust me, girl, you don't want to end up in jail for killing someone like him." A masculine voice said in her ear._

"_Spotty, be gentle will'ya? She looks half-starved, the poor mite. Lets get her back home 'fore we give 'er any lectures. What's your name, anyway, Sweetheart?"_

_The little girl with the pink hair and bell-shaped skirt looked up at the girl who had joined the dark-skinned boy who held her._

"_Kole," she said, and then felt her eyes flutter shut as heat flared around her._

"_Aw, Spotty," the older girl said, "I think you overheated 'er. Not the best way to welcome a possible new recruit, y'know."_

"_Shut up, Argent," the boy grumbled, hefting the now unconscious girl in his arms, "Just call Herald to get us out of here."_

XXXXXXXXXX

1. **Awakening**

Kole woke up in what she imagined the sun would feel like if she ever landed in it. Throwing off the blankets that were turning her skin lobster red, she stood up. Was that a _heat haze_ in the air?

A wry voice came from the doorway. "Sorry about the temperature, mate. Spotty volunteered his room as your 'cuperating bed 'cause he felt guilty for giving you a mini-heatstroke. He 'as the largest room, so I didn't complain." The blacked-haired girl gave Kole a smile. "Name's Argent. Welcome to Titans South."

2. **Argent**

Argent really didn't expect it to be so easy to get Kole to join the team. She'd been going crazy as the only girl in the team—she didn't know how Bee did it—and was prepared to do anything from kiss ass to wipe shoes in order to get the younger girl to stay.

She didn't expect Kole to accept with a sad smile and a simple, "I don't have anywhere to go, now, anyways."

3. **Jericho**

Kole wasn't sure when she noticed the green-eyed blonde in her room, but when she did, she found that she couldn't look away. The boy gazed deep into her eyes, and then smiled, and winked. Jumping off her bed, he handed her a quick note, and then was gone. Kole looked down at the piece of paper and read, "My name is Jericho. Welcome to Titans South."

4. **Hot Spot**

He was kind of awkward around her for a couple days—after all, he had basically given her heatstroke the first time he met her—but Kole ignored his awkwardness in the way that little kids often did, and Hot Spot soon grew comfortable enough to yell at her when she turned his room into what he deemed, "a friggin' _ice_ cube."

5. **Herald**

"I come from beneath the South Pole," Kole explained, skipping lightly through the semi-blizzard that was currently swamping their front lawn, "Plus, I'm semi-crystal. The cold really doesn't bother me." Herald, who had been deemed "babysitter" in the absence of Argent and Jericho, couldn't help but smile at the way the pink-haired girl was dancing, even though he could swear that even his armpits were freezing.

6. **Open and Closed**

The Titans South soon found that while Kole was refreshingly transparent about her likes, dislikes, and annoyances, she became extremely closed-mouthed whenever anyone asked about her life before she was found wandering in Star City. At first, it was sort of a game—the TS boys competing against Argent to see who could tease the story out of Kole first.

When she broke down and started crying in the middle of the living room, it stopped being funny.

7. **History**

"I don't remember my parents," Kole said. Her voice trembled, as Jericho cuddled protectively next to her, the other two TS boys sat facing her, and Argent held the small girl's hand. "Gnarrk, he was the only family I ever knew. We were happy together, in our home under the ground. We didn't need anyone."

It took awhile for her to continue, but when she did, her voice was steady. "And then a man in a light suit came down and tried to take me. Gnarrk protected me, but the light man was too strong and he—" she swallowed hard. "He killed Gnarrk."

"I ran. I didn't stay to say good-bye, or even to bury him. The Light Man had exploded his body into a million pieces, and I would never have been able to collect them all…" a tear fell, and then another. "But sometimes, I really wished I had. The only thing I had of him was that wooden heart he carved me when I turned nine. And now, even that's gone."

8. **Family**

As she buried her face into Jericho's shoulders and sobbed, Titans South closed in around her, forming a warm circle of love, sorrow, and promises. "We're here, now," Argent whispered into the younger girl's hair. "We might not be 'yer Gnarrk, but we sure are your family."

9. **Necklace**

It was a unanimous decision that on Kole's birthday, the Titans South presented her with a charm necklace, with six little trinkets already dangling on the slender golden chain. A torch, courtesy of Hot Spot. A trumpet—Herald's gift. A music note, accompanied by a saucy kiss on the cheek from Jericho, and lastly, a big "A" for Argent.

Kole almost cried when she realized that the symbol they had picked out for her was a bent, wooden heart with a tiny crystal in the middle.

10. **Age**

"Dude, did you know Kole's thirteen?"

"You've got to be kidding me. I could have sworn she was no more than ten!"

Jericho stared in bewildered pity at the older boys of Titans South. If they didn't have the sense, (or eyes), to realize that Kole was, in fact, quite mature, it was their loss.

11. **Blush**

She might have been literally raised in a cave under the South Pole with no one but a caveman to talk to, but Kole knows enough about the human anatomy to blush a very becoming pink when she catches sight of Jericho doing laps in their pool.

12. **Music**

When it comes to video games, Titans South always chooses Guitar Hero. Jericho completely _kills _the guitar, Herald easily manages the drums, and Argent and Hotspot team up, alternately shrieking at the microphone and at each other. When Kole first joins in, she completely messes up the other guitar, but that's ok, because Jericho likes saving her anyway.

13. **Fashion**

Argent has been hailed the "Titan Fashionesta," by various magazines, and while Kole thinks that the gothic girl's clothes are amazingly unique and _Argent_, she's surprisingly reluctant to let the older girl "dress her up." When she's finally won over and emerges from the bathroom in what Argent has dubbed, "her man-killer outfit," the TS boys promptly order her back into the bathroom to change.

14. **Protective**

The Titans South boys are extremely protective of their two girls. Of course, when it comes to Argent, Hot Spot has an ulterior motive for threatening to castrate her potential suitors with his bare, (but flaming), hands, but despite the New Zealander's (often violent) protests that she can take care of herself, the TS boys always manage to stick their noses in where, (according to Argent at least), they don't belong.

When it comes to Kole though, the boys are caught off guard. She came to them a skinny, sweet _child_, and suddenly there are tabloids of her and _Speedy _of all people having scandalous rendezvous by the shore-side. The TS boys make a very prompt visit to Titans East, kidnap a spluttering Speedy, and interrogate/threaten/intimidate the archer until Speedy finally realizes why they're so angry and explains that the only reason the photographer got a picture of him helping Kole out of a wet top was because they'd just finished fighting a sea monster and she'd been wounded.

The TS boys let him go after that. Jericho is the last to leave, and before he goes he smiles innocently at Speedy and then promptly makes the "I'm watching you" sign, leaving a very creeped-out Roy Harper behind.

15. **Crystal**

In a fight Kole acts as a human shield, manipulating parts of her body so that the bullets and other missiles that the enemy shoots at them bounce off her harmlessly. She also acts as a close-distance weapon, using whatever part of her body that is closest as an effective metal hammer.

However, she's neither iron nor steel, and Titans South soon learns that, for such a resilient element, crystal can also be easily broken. When Atlas snaps Kole's arm in half, sending her crashing to the ground, they remember that, for all her tough words, she's only a little girl who's never had to fight until now.

16. **Past**

When Dr. Light, (the Light Man, Kole whispers in terror), appears and tries to take Kole away, he is faced with a very angry Argent, a fiery Hot Spot, a trumpet-twirling Herald, and a Jericho with very cold, very deadly green eyes. He doesn't stand a chance.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Kole loves the winter. She half slides, half slips as she makes her way down the streets of Star City. A year, no—six months ago they would not have been able to move through Star so safely, but six months can equal a lot of butt-kicking, especially with a new member on the superhero team of Titans South._

_Argent puffs behind her, and Kole spins to watch as the dark-haired girl dumps a layer of snow on Hot Spot, who instantly yells and burns it all away with his extraordinarily hot body heat. Herald is quietly blowing his trumpet—not teleporting, but merely enjoying the peaceful cloudy sky._

_Kole spins around as a snowball explodes on her back. Jericho smirks, one hand innocently clean, the other hidden behind his back. Kole's eyes narrow and she runs forward with a squeal of delight, picking up snow as she does so._

_Jericho turns and flees, but Kole is on a mission of revenge and she quickly stuffs a snowball down the blonde boy's shirt. As the boy yelps silently and turns to counterattack, she slips and tumbles right—Jericho's snowball sailing over her head to plop on Argent's head._

_Soon the whole area is in chaos as Argent uses her powers to dump huge piles of snow upon the vainly struggling Jericho. "That'll teach'ya," the girl muttered, and Kole couldn't help but laugh._


	8. A New Kind of Family, Part 1

_There will be a Part 2! Give feedback and it'll probably be posted sooner._

* * *

><p><strong>~ A New Kind of Family, (Part 1) ~<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Throughout history there have been siblings that have changed the world. Romulus and Remus built the start of what would later become the most powerful empire in the world. Mozart and his sister—musical prodigies that shook the artistic core of their eras. Anne and Mary Boleyn, women who changed and shaped the life of King Henry the VIII.<em>

_But never have siblings such as these existed. Never has such power, such potential, such pedigree been bestowed on two innocent babes. Their mother is dead, their father lost to them forever, and yet the two babes clutch each other in their sleep and smile._

_Orphanages cannot separate them, and if strange things happen around them, then the adults credit it to chance, for the alternative would be to admit that there is something strange about the adorable Logan twins. True, the brother has always had a special touch with animals, but that, combined with his straw-blond hair and big green eyes never provoked suspicion. And yes, heavy things usually broke when the sister flailed around in a fit of pique, but her innocent features and long red hair always kept the authorities from taking her too seriously._

_And so Garfield and Kori Logan grew up relatively normally. They went to the same school, where Kori's cheerful attitude and general happiness won over most of the student population, and where Garfield's jokes were taken by proxy to be hilarious._

_The twins themselves always knew they were different. After all, Garfield had been turning himself into and communicating with animals since he was old enough to remember, and Kori had mastered her starbolts and learned to control her strength. They were bright enough to know that none of these things were normal._

_When they turned ten, they made a pact to learn everything they could about their powers, and, using the new twin laptops their foster mom had presented them with, they set to work researching. Two months later, they hit jackpot after Garfield hacked into a CIA computer base and found a file named, "Operation Logan."_

_Five hours of intense reading later, they confronted their mom._

_Two days later, men in black swarmed their house._

_The twins weren't there._

XXXXXXXXXX

**1. Road Trip**

"Are you sure this is the only way?" Kori asked, watching the countryside zip by as she carried her brother through the skies. Garfield nodded, trying to catch his breath—he'd never flown for so long, and was a bit embarrassed that he needed his older twin to carry him after only a couple hours.

"Mom said they'd been trying to find us for years," he said, not for the first time. "And after all the poking around we did, they know where we are." Reaching up, he gave his sister a reassuring pat on the arm. "Don't worry, Kori. Pretend this is a vacation or something."

**2. Insomnia**

The twins snuck into an unoccupied hotel room their first night, hiding when the maid came to clean and making sure the window was always open—just in case. The bed was warm and the twins huddled together with their eyes closed, but neither Logan slept. Finally, at midnight, they got up and quietly left, because anything was better than lying there thinking about what was going to happen to them.

**3. Haunting**

"Mom's dead, isn't she?" Kori asked. "The people we're running from probably killed her."

Garfield shook his head, holding his sister close. "She could have escaped." They both knew he was lying.

**4. Direction**

All they had was a map Garfield had swiped from a drugstore and the file that Garfield had printed out hurriedly the night of their escape. Perhaps that was why they made their decision so quickly when they saw the Teen Titans splashed over the cover of a newspaper. At least it was a place to start.

**5. Candy**

Luckily, just when they ran out of money, Halloween happened. Garfield transformed into a lamb and Kori held him while giving her best smile. Their candy bag was full by the end of the night.

**6. Wishes**

Even when they started stealing money from wishing wells, Kori always left the pennies in, because while the rich people could afford to throw in quarters and dimes, she knew that it was people like them who placed all their hope in the copper pennies that populated each well.

**7. Suspicion**

They learned quickly not to linger too long in any one place, because someone was bound to take notice—and not all of them were kind people asking where their parents were.

**8. Birthday**

When March 17 rolled around they looked at each other and whispered, "Happy Birthday." Even though they'd just turned eleven, they'd grown up months ago when they realized their mother was dead. Still, Garfield took the last of their spare change and bought an ice cream cone, which they tried to savor but devoured in seconds.

**9. Lucky**

Later, they huddled in a stranger's attic and Kori whispered, "At least we're together."

"Don't say that." Garfield said sharply, because he didn't even want to think about going through what he was going through alone. And Kori understood, because she felt the exact same way.

**10. Stronger**

It was lucky that they were getting stronger every day, because Garfield knew that, in order to reach Jump City, they were going to need to get across the Pacific Ocean. When he finally told Kori, she looked at him without any fear in her big green eyes. "If I get tired, you'll carry me. If you get tired, I'll carry you. We'll make it."

**11. Making It**

The waves lapped at their feet, and Kori wondered hazily if it would be easier to just let herself fall into the ocean and drown. Her body ached, her mind was shot, and she wanted more than anything just to give up. But Garfield was in her arms, passed out from exhaustion and lack of water, and she couldn't let him die too. So she kept flying.

Garfield had never, _never_ experienced pain like this. He flew until he could fly no more, and then he swam. When he could no longer swim Kori carried him, and then the grueling cycle began all over again. But he couldn't let himself drown, couldn't leave Kori alone. So he kept going.

**12. Arrival**

They collapsed on the beach a couple hours before dawn, matted, sweaty, and utterly exhausted. Luckily, there was no one to see them but a drunk couple who could barely open their eyes anyway. The twins were unconscious the moment they touched sand, and the next morning found them tightly in each others arms, refusing to get washed away by the ocean that had almost claimed them.

**13. Nervous**

It was strange, because during their trip they weren't scared for themselves—only the Mother they'd left behind. When they'd determined to cross the Pacific Ocean, and even during the ordeal, they'd felt exhaustion, defeat, despair—but never fear.

Now, as they stood in front of Titans Tower, clothes torn and skin still smelling of salt, they felt the pang of nervousness run over their bodies. Everything they'd worked for since that day when they'd fled from home was centered around this moment. If they were rejected, they would truly have no place to go.

The Logan twins linked hands, and rang the doorbell.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Raven was usually up early, but even she had been asleep when the bell sounded. Rolling over, she groaned. "Please tell me I was imaging that."_

_Robin got up from beside her, patting her shoulder. "I'll get it." He was halfway clothed when she rolled her eyes, stood, wrapped her arms around his chest, and kissed him on the cheek._

"_Don't be stupid, Boy Wonder. We're going together."_

_Robin resisted the urge to kiss his girlfriend back, because then the doorbell would never get answered and he knew from experience that calls before dawn were usually very serious. Raven, despite her grousing, knew it too, and was dressed before he was._

_They glanced at the computer monitor as well as the fingerprint scanner as they neared the door. The fingerprint scanner held no matches, which could mean several things—either the person was someone not in public files, or they had no fingerprints. Robin sincerely hoped it was the first one._

_Raven grabbed his arm, pointing at the monitor screen. "By Azar, are those—"_

_Robin followed her gaze, and felt his blood run cold. Two children stood shivering on their doorstep, the boy slightly swaying, the girl's eyes almost closed. His girlfriend was already undoing the locks, pulling the door open, and welcoming the children in._

_A sleepy voice came from behind them, "What'cha doing?"_

_Robin turned around to see Karen stumble into the room, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Walking over, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and planted a kiss in her dark curls. "Nothing," he told the thirteen-year old girl, "Go to sleep."_

"_It's another one, isn't it?" Karen asked, the sleepiness gone from her voice. "Another one of us. Brother Blood's experiments."_

_Robin hesitated, but there was no use lying to the girl. She'd been the first to come to them, the one to tell them about the charismatic psychopath who was taking pregnant women and interfering with their unborn children._

_Robin and Raven had tracked the man down, contacted the Justice League, and promptly made sure the man would never be free to harm another child again—but then, after Karen, more children started showing up. Garth, who could manipulate water and speak to any creature of the sea. Jericho, born mute but with the ability to possess anything that met his eyes. And many more._

_They'd built the tower when their small apartment became too crowded with all the children, became heroes full-time so the kids wouldn't have to cope with secret identities. They'd sent out messages, asked friends to keep a look-out for any other meta-human children._

_There hadn't been any for almost a year._

_Raven looked up at him, and Robin was relieved to see her smile despite the pain in her eyes. "They're stable," she said, and he heard very clearly the relief in her voice. Ever since Terra died—Raven had been desperate to keep every one of her kids from harm._

"_I put them to sleep. They'll awake when their bodies have rested, but right now, they're completely exhausted. I'm amazed they managed to get this far. When they wake up, they'll need to be fed and given shots to ward off any diseases that they'll be vulnerable to for awhile."_

_Robin nodded and turned to Karen. "How do you feel about sharing a room with the girl, Karen?" he asked._

_Karen nodded, all business, small face intent. "And the boy can room with Jericho, or maybe Wally." Walking over to the twins, she patted the girl's head and whispered fiercely, "Don't worry, you guys are safe now. Robin and Raven won't let anything happen to you."_

"_You're home."_


	9. A New Kind of Family, Part 2

_Review please, and give suggestions!_

* * *

><p><strong>~ A New Kind of Family, (Part 2) ~<strong>

* * *

><p><em>They woke up to the smell of waffles and feminine voice yelling, "Wake up, it's chow time!"<em>

_Garfield tried to open his eyes, and found to his surprise that he could do it without much trouble. Beside him, Kori was already gingerly getting to her feet, the smell of food instantly putting her on alert. _

"_Oh, goody, you're up."_

_This voice was deep and masculine, and Garfield looked up into the twinkling eyes of a half-robotic man probably at least twice as big as he was. He yelped and instinctively morphed into a lion. Kori snarled at her twin's sudden attack and launched herself backwards until she was by his side._

_The half-metal man laughed. "Cool trick, kid, but save it for the bad guys." He waved the plate of waffles temptingly. "Come'on, I know you're hungry."_

_The girl who had woken them up spoke again, arms crossed over her chest. "Yeah, listen to Victor, guys. He's in charge while Robin and Raven aren't here. I'm Karen, by the way." Seeing a girl about their age—even one with wings on her back—relaxed Garfield, and he morphed back._

"_Where are we?" he asked, taking a waffle warily and scarfing it down. Karen opened her mouth to answer, or perhaps to scold him for eating in the living room, but then another voice interrupted._

"_Come to the table, guys, and then we'll explain."_

_The twins spun, and came face-to-face with the man and woman they'd met briefly the night before. Kori squealed and ran to the woman, hugging her around the legs. "Thank you so very much for taking my brother and I in."_

_The woman smiled wryly. "With all the racket you two were making, it was the least I could do." Taking Kori by the hand, the woman led them to the kitchen table, where a multitude of other children were eating a variety of breakfasts, ranging from fruit to Cocoa Puffs._

"_Here, buddy, you can sit next to me." The big man—Victor—patted the seat next to him and Garfield took it, reaching for a bowl of cereal and milk._

"_Where are we?" he asked again, spoon halfway to his mouth. The food looked good, and he was starving—but he needed answers. Kori, who'd grabbed the seat next to him, was also not eating, similarly waiting for answers._

_Raven sighed, and then gave a quiet, but firm, "Everyone, pay attention." The loud chattering died down immediately and all eyes turned to look at the Logan twins. "Eat," the woman continued, "We'll explain while you get some nutrition back into your bodies."_

_Without waiting to see whether she'd be obeyed, the woman started talking, and Garfield started eating as he listened intently. It was like a sci-fi movie, or a T.V. show, filled with psychopaths and genetic experiments. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton._

"_We thought we got all of them," Raven finished as he was devouring his fifth plate of waffles, "Brother Blood was supposed to have genetically altered only twelve children. The fact that you two actually exist means either that we were wrong—"_

"_Or that someone's following in Brother Blood's footsteps and using his work." Robin finished, "Both of which could be very, very, bad."_

"_We know the CIA are involved," Kori piped up, "They found us because Gar hacked into one of their files."_

"_Sweet, man." This came from a kid with red hair and a grin that swept across his face. Karen jabbed him in the ribs, and he winced, complaining loudly. The noise started up again, and Garfield found himself facing Robin. The man's face was drawn, and he exchanged glances with Raven._

"_Could you and your sister meet us after breakfast?" Robin asked, "We need to discuss the possible government involvement and get you and your sister antibiotics." Garfield nodded, and Robin clasped him on the shoulder before walking back to his seat._

"_So, little guy, you like machines, huh? Maybe you can come to the garage with me and we can tinker a bit," Victor said._

"_Yeah," Garfield said slowly, "Maybe."_

XXXXXXXXXX

**1. Roster**

"Karen, thirteen. You already met me. I was actually born in Brother Blood's lab, and that's how I knew about all of his plans and stuff when I escaped and found Robin and Raven."

"Wally, twelve. I'm super fast. Want to see me vibrate through the wall?"

"Garth, fifteen. I escaped shortly after Brother Blood was captured. I have the ability to manipulate water and talk to sea creatures."

"Mas—"

"—Menos."

"Nosotros super rapido!"

"Jericho can't speak, but he's thirteen and he can control your body if he looks into your eyes. I'm Kole, I'm ten years old, and I can turn parts of my body into solid crystal."

"Argent, thirteen, and 'yer resident fashion queen, thank y'all very much. My power's sorta hard ta' explain. Basically, I can move stuff with this red stuff that 'I shoot out of me hands—never mind, you'll see me in action soon 'nough."

"Jinx, thirteen. I'm bad luck personified, so don't get on my bad side, or you'll regret it."

"Melvin, I'm eight. My brother's Timmy, and he's six. Teether's three."

**2. Introduction**

"I'm Victor, or Cyborg, as the media calls me. I'm twenty-three and the R-birds called me in after their brood got a little too big for them to handle alone. Resident fixer-upper, breakfast maker, and video game champ."

"Raven, twenty-one, though you guys really don't need to know that. I'm going to be checking you guys for health issues later."

"Robin, twenty-two. Welcome to the Titans."

**3. Terra**

"Didn't you say there were twelve, originally?" Garfield asked, and regretted it as pain flashed across Raven's face.

It was Robin who said, "That's a story you'll have to hear another time. Go finish your breakfast."

**4. Terra (Part 2)**

"Not all of us are as trusting as you and your sister," Karen explained after she heard their conversation, "I'd keep my windows open every night, just in case they turned out to be bad guys. Took me a year for me to finally close my window and admit to myself that I trusted them. Terra didn't make that choice."

"She was always fighting with Robin," Wally continued, smile gone, "She'd never listen to Raven, either, and finally she went over to Slade's side."

"Slade's Robin's arch-enemy," Garth explained, seeing the look on Garfield's face, "He has a mask over half his face and helped bring about the end of the world once. Get Raven to tell you the story sometime, it's amazing how she and Robin single-handedly stopped him and her demonic father."

"Anyway," Karen said, annoyed at being cut out of the conversation, "Terra realized how much of a jerk Slade actually was and how good she'd had it before. She tried to escape but Slade wasn't about to let his apprentice get away. He shot her full of bullets and left her to die. Luckily, Raven found her and brought her back to the tower, but she was hurt too bad to recover. Raven had to completely wipe her mind and basically give her a new body. She's normal now. Doesn't remember any of us."

The girl turned to look at the Logan twins, eyes dead serious. "Robin and Raven still beat themselves up over her. Don't bring Terra up again."

**5. Trust**

It was harder than he thought to let Robin take over the CIA file, but as Garfield watched Robin started call up people he'd only heard of on the radio—he had to admit to himself that the search for those who had altered him and Kori was in good hands.

**6. Sisterhood**

Kori loved her brother, she really did—but she'd always longed for a sister. The girls at school had been fun, but she couldn't talk to them about problems related to her super-strength, flying, or ability to shoot starbolts. In Titans Tower, there were five girls, all similar to her in that they all had powers.

She was adopted into this unique sisterhood as sort of a middle child—Jinx, Karen, and Argent as her older sisters, and Kole and Melvin as her younger sisters. The former group taught her control over her powers and giggled with her about boys, while she joined the others in dressing up the younger girls and protecting them from danger.

They weren't the most traditional sisterhood—it was true—but to Kori, it was home.

**7. Best Friends**

Garfield bonded with Wally fast, and the two ended up sharing a room. By the second day of that relationship the other members of the tower were regretting it, as Wally's speed plus Garfield's ability to miniaturize himself resulted in some pretty epic pranks.

**8. Victor**

Ever since that first day, Victor took Garfield under his wing. They battled for dominance in video games, worked on car parts together, and fought over the benefits of vegetarianism vs. meat-eating. Garfield soon realized that this close relationship with the half-metal man resulted in some pretty heated glares from both Karen and Jinx.

**9. Crush**

"Don't worry, Kori," Jinx assured the blushing girl, "All of us get a crush on Robin eventually, and all the boys—including your brother, sweetie—pine over Raven. It's sort of an Oedipus thing, except we adore Raven and the boys admire Robin too much to ever lay a hand on them."

**10. Training**

The first day of training, both Logan twins got crushed. The second, they did much worse. On the thirty-second day, Kori broke Karen's arm when she slammed the other girl into the wall and Garfield almost gave Jericho a concussion when he morphed into a rhino and threw the boy into Garth.

Robin smiled proudly as Raven healed the two injured kids. He knew his training would pay off.

**11. Relationships**

Garfield was far more perceptive than anyone, except maybe Robin and Raven, gave him credit for. He knew Jinx and Karen had an ongoing rivalry over who would marry Victor, despite the man being almost ten years older than them. He knew Melvin, Timmy, and Teether had a territorial streak when it came to Raven and would raise bloody hell if she was taken away from them for too long.

He knew Jericho and Kole had mutual crush that neither had acted upon yet, and that his sister had a huge crush on Robin, despite loving Raven like she loved their mother. Which was weird, but not weird, because he felt the same way about Raven, despite genuinely liking her boyfriend.

**12. Secrets**

They all had secrets—private issues that they had to work through alone. Garth never touched seafood, and it went beyond the fact that he could speak to them. Mas and Menos never left each others' sides, and Karen screamed at night when she got nightmares.

But they knew that, when all was said and done and dawn was poking out after a particularly bad night, they would have each other to support them.

**13. Stories**

"And then I regained my powers and snuck up behind Trigon…" Raven's eyes were animated as she spoke, her hands forming shadow pictures even as she told the story.

"You're right," Garfield whispered to Garth, "This is an awesome story."

**14. Blessed**

When Kori looks at the scars on Jinx's back, the fear in Mas and Menos' face when they're separated, or the tears on Karen's cheeks when she sobs in her sleep, she knows that, despite all the hardships she and her brother went through, they were truly blessed.

**15. Darkest Before the Dawn**

"We've caught them," Robin said, and Gar's eyes lit up as he met the man's eyes. Robin wasn't smiling. "Gar—we found them, and we also found your mom."

Raven, standing next to him, was the one who said the next two words—the words that wiped the grin off Gar's face and made Kori burst into tears. Raven looked them straight in the eye. "I'm sorry."

Who knew two words could be so powerful?

XXXXXXXXXX

_They'd known subconsciously, had even said it out loud a couple times. Garfield hadn't even realized he'd been holding on to some small sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, the woman they'd always called "mother" had survived._

_Watching as Kori sobbed beside him, he realized that she hadn't known she was hoping either._

_Even if they had stopped hoping, there was a difference in knowing that their Mom was probably dead with seeing her body, left to decay by the men who had been after them. It was different picturing her lying peacefully and watching as bugs ran over her half-decayed body._

_He felt Raven's arm wrap around his shoulder. "I'm sorry," the woman whispered. She wrapped her other arm around Kori's waist, and the girl collapsed into her arms. Garfield forced the tears back as he stood, shrugging out of Raven's grasp._

"_We have to bury her." This was Robin, eyes covered with a mask as they always were when they were in public. Still, Garfield could feel the man gazing at him, trying to gauge his reaction. "Gar?"_

"_I'll do it." The words thudded out of his lips, "She was my mom."_

_It was my fault. The thought hit him like a thunderbolt, making his thin frame jerk. If he hadn't fled, hadn't started poking around—maybe they'd still all be alive and happy. Maybe they could have lived all their lives as a normal family._

"_You're feeling guilty," Raven said from behind him, "Don't."_

_Garfield whirled. "Don't read my emotions," he snarled, "You don't know what its like—"_

"_To lose someone because of a choice I made?" Raven asked, and there was genuine fury in her voice as she continued, "My mom was killed by Trigon because she hid me. It was her choice, but also mine to stay hidden. I let that decision ruin my life for fourteen years, Gar. It took me more than a decade to understand that, just as I made my choice, she made hers."_

_Her voice softened. "Your mother was a good woman, Garfield. She raised you and your sister well, protected you well, kept you two happy. Don't blame yourself because her love led her to put herself between her children and danger."_

_Garfield remained silent, and felt Robin press a shovel into his hand. "We'll be waiting outside," he said, "Kori cried herself to sleep. Come out when you're ready."_

_They left, and Gar felt his body move as he started shoveling dirt. His mind was away though, remembering his mother. She'd lied to them, of course—he was old enough to realize now that there was no way she couldn't have known her kids were special when she adopted them._

_But she'd loved them. He remembered the way she would tuck them into bed, pressing kisses on their foreheads and singing them lullabies until they drifted off. And she was gone._

_She wouldn't want him to be unhappy. He knew it, and knew that he knew it. He had another family now—and if Mariah Logan had been around to see them, she would be proud of who he was becoming and the work he was putting in to get there._

_He remembered the last thing she'd said before they'd fled, four years ago. "Take care of your sister, Garfield. And be happy."_

_He finished, and stepped back, observing his work. It was a crude grave, but it covered her body and protected it from the elements. "Goodbye, Mom," he whispered, and then walked out._

"_I promise I'll do my best to watch over Kori. And we'll be happy—just like you wanted us to be." _


	10. Hero For A Day

_Taking suggestions for new ideas!_

* * *

><p><strong>A Hero for a Day<strong>

* * *

><p><em>There aren't many things that can make Red-X squirm, even less that can make him tremble. Xavier has always been the guy who grew up willing to play chicken with a train,<em> _the guy who jumps off buildings without knowing for sure that his, (always unpredictable) suit will save him—the guy who once faced down the entire Teen Titans and got away._

_But here he was, shaking in his custom made, (thanks Bird Boy), suit._

_The others didn't look much better. Dr. Light was curled into a little ball, already half comatose and whimpering about his "orange kitten," or something similarly creepy, and both Punk Rocket and Johnny Rancid looked like they were about to wet themselves._

_Red-X snorted. Some villains they were. He glanced to his left, and saw to his relief that he wasn't the only villain still ready to fight. Mumbo Jumbo, strangely enough, was still standing, as were Kitten and Jade. Red-X gave a lascivious wink at the latter girl, and Cheshire nodded in return._

_Good, no hard feelings then._

_He'd had a brief affair with Jade a couple months back. It'd been pure pleasure, no strings attached—both of them knowing the cost if they pulled off each other's masks—but still, it paid to make sure your make-out buddies didn't harbor any secret hard feelings._

_He left the pathetic excuses for villains behind and walked over to the other group. Kitten shot him an assessing look. "Think you can handle this, X?"_

_Xavier raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Can I handle it? I've handled all of them, sweetie. If I recall correctly, you've forced their leader on a date." He chuckled. "Hardly counts as combat practice, darling."_

"_She held her own against a jealous Tameranean," Jade pointed out, "And you're 'handling them' was under considerably different circumstances."_

"_She's right, my duck," Mumbo Jumbo said. The old man was still grinning like the circus ringmaster he was, and Red-X had to give him credit for holding out so well. If he'd been blue, centuries-years-old, and on the bad side of the red-eyed girl glaring at them, he'd have claimed senility and fled the scene._

"_Wouldn't work," the magician said, and Red-X jumped, "She's on to me."_

"_No way can you—" Red-X started forward, but the blue man laughed and waved him away. "No need to worry, X, I can't read minds. I'm just a darn good guesser."_

_Ok, so he has a semi-psychic old man with considerable magical powers, a blonde whose sucker-punch was rumored to send grown men through walls, and Chesire. ('Nuff said.) Wasn't bad odds, all things considered._

"_You're forgetting something," Jade said from behind him. She crossed her arms, and Xavier just knew she was rolling her eyes. "Listen, if they were normal, we'd take them easy. But they're not. The idiot who doused them with Chang's evil-serum-thing's effectively made sure our best advantage—"_

"_Me," Red-X supplied._

_Jade shot him a withering look under her grinning mask. "As big as your head is, Xavier, it's just makes you a bigger target. I'm talking about their sense of morality."_

"_She's right. Robbie won't aim for a girl's—" Kitten gestured meaningfully, and Red-X bit back a laugh, "Not so much of a problem for the robot and Beast Boy—they usually fight at a distance or charge straight into you—but with Robin, it was a definite advantage. Starfire's uber-conscious of her strength. I'm good, but if she'd been going full-out, she would have just thrown me into the next county and been done with it."_

"_The poor idiot over there got a taste of Raven out of control." Mumbo Jumbo clicked sympathetically, shaking his head. "He never truly recovered."_

"_And most importantly, they won't hesitate to seriously hurt you now." The group spun at the new voice, and Red-X felt both his eyebrows shoot to his hairline. A slim girl with bright pink hair and cat-slanted eyes walked towards them, hands on hips._

"_Jinx!" Kitten sounded surprised, "you're switching sides again?"_

"_You wish." Jinx rolled her eyes, and shot a pointed look at the now-evil Titans, who'd broken out of their previously silent stage and were whispering quietly among themselves. "I'm here to take care of them."_

"_We're here to take care of them." A flash of yellow and red, and Kid Flash was standing next to his girlfriend. He gave a little wave, "What's up?"_

_Kitten gave him a once-over. "I don't blame you for leaving that pathetic HIVE group for this sweet thing," she said approvingly. Turning to Wally, she winked, "Call me if you guys have any—problems.."_

_Jinx gave a low growl, Kitten laughed, and Red-X really wished they weren't about to face the evil Teen Titans, because otherwise this would be totally hot._

"_Can you call in reinforcements?" Jade was asking, pushing between the two girls, "Titans East, or some such?"_

_Kid Flash nodded. "'Ready did, they're on their way. Titans East, I mean."_

"_All of them?" Kitten sounded surprised, "For these five? We already outnumber them—"_

_Jinx gave a laugh. "Trust me, we'll need all the help we can get." She spun, sending pink lightning streaking as Starfire suddenly shot forward, the others spreading out behind her. Red-X gulped as the Teen Titans attacked, and quietly hoped that his suit would hold up._

_And then there was no time for thinking._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**1. Grudges**

"Surely you don't hold that eensy-weensie incident against an old man, do you?"

"You turned me into a _bunny_, Mumbo Jumbo. Prepare to pay the price."

Red-X, who'd just been slammed head-first into the wall by Beast Boy, dazedly wondered if Raven knew the X-rated images her comment had just whipped into his brain.

**2. Boxing**

Kitten would never admit it to anyone, but she was kind of turned-on when Kid Flash grabbed her up bridal-style and sped her out of the way of Cyborg's sonic cannon. Still—he was Jaya's boyfriend…she sighed. Why did relationships have to be so _complicated?_

3**. Respite**

Jade had to admit that Jinx had been right, they did need all the help they can get. She'd never been gladder to hear a "Titans Go!" than the moment Bee lead the Titans East straight into the thick of the battle. Still—did they have to break through the wall she was currently leaning on?

She grimaced as she dodged rubble, letting her knives slice open a pebble hurtling for her mask. There was no way she was going to get felled by pieces of rock—she had a reputation to uphold.

**4. Ironic**

The ironic thing was, most of the guys in the room had fantasized about a not-so-innocent Starfire pressing them against the wall. However, as Speedy tried to fight the Tameranean off, he had to think that in reality, the situation was far from sexy.

**5. Deja Vu**

Jinx felt almost nostalgic as she dodged Robin's punches and swept his feet out from under him only to get smashed into the floor by Raven. Then she actually hit the ground and felt her arm snap. _Back to the good 'ol days._

**6. Slow**

He'd found it so easy to beat them before—but now, as Xavier tried in vain to dodge Starfire's starbolts, he found that he'd underestimated just how much the Titans had held back.

No longer afraid of breaking his spine or snapping his nose straight into the brain, Robin's punches flew like lightning. Xavier could see his worst nightmares virtually floating out of Raven's red eyes, and Starfire wasn't holding back as she did her best to break him in half. The sonic cannons were loud and too-close, and there was a dinosaur he had to avoid—Xavier had always prized himself as quick, but now he felt as if he was far too slow.

**7. Fast**

Kid Flash and the twins figured out early that, while their speed gave them a bit of an advantage—they were far too busy defending their friends and frenemies to utilize it. Still, Kid Flash had the time to knock Robin into a charging Starfire, which was comical even if it wasn't very effective.

**8. Darkest**

Things weren't looking good. Jinx's arm was broken, the twins were unconscious, and Bee's wings had been snapped like twigs when Starfire swung her into Speedy. Cheshire and Aqualad barely held off Raven, and Kid Flash was cornered by Starfire.

Xavier was tired—more tired than he'd been in a long time—and didn't the Bird Brain have to _rest_? He heard someone cry out as a green panther screamed, and the sonic cannon hit the walls behind him, sending him ducking for cover, when all he wanted to do was sit down and close his eyes.

**9. Dawn**

The entire room lightened when Raven—most used to fighting off her evil side—abruptly let go of a choking Aqualad and snapped back to normal. As her eyes faded back to purple and her torn cape, (courtesy of Jinx), fell to the ground, Xavier found himself thinking that they might actually have a chance.

A couple minutes later, when Robin—also used to fighting his demons—came back to himself, he knew they were going to be ok.

**10. Hot**

As Raven slipped her hands under his suit to heal the hole in his side, Xavier couldn't help but notice that she was still panting from the fight and that the leotard clung just a bit more closely than it might have done if she hadn't been covered in sweat.

**11. Teamwork**

If she took to the skies, she was gone—and no one was heartless enough to wish for Starfire to come to herself on some lonely planet with no way of getting home. In the end, it was simple. Raven simply used her powers to hold the alien girl still while Robin doused her with gas.

By the time he'd emptied his supply, Starfire was snoring. Cheshire made a mental note to herself. _To put the Tameranean to sleep, douse her with enough gas to knock out a herd of elephants._

**12. Grudges (part 2)**

"I still haven't forgotten that you've turned me into a bunny," Raven told Mumbo Jumbo, "But you kept me and my friends from destroying the city tonight, so we'll call it even."

Mumbo Jumbo clicked sadly as the girl walked away, shaking his head. "What are you thinking, old man?" Xavier asked. Mumbo Jumbo gave him a sly grin, and he blanched. "You aren't thinking of—"

"Of course I am, my boy," Mumbo Jumbo laughed, "As if I'd give up such a beautiful, talented, and feisty assistant." Leaning over, he whispered confidentially, "I think of her as my own daughter, you know."

**13. Interesting**

Watching as Raven snapped Beast Boy back to himself with a furious, "_Beast Boy_," Jade made a mental note to look the girl up again and fight her. She wanted to put her own skills against a girl able to throw off Dr. Chang's evil-serum so quickly.

**14. Lucky**

Listening to Speedy grouse about his bruises, Bee smacked him over the head and hissed, "Stop complaining, Roy. You're lucky that you're still incognito. You don't think Raven could have unmasked you anytime she wanted? That Robin couldn't have smashed a birdarang into our heads if he hadn't been fighting it the whole time?

**15. Wounded**

Yeah, having a broken arm sucked, but the way Wally was cooing at her and treating her like she might break was almost enough to make up for it.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_If he'd had the strength, he would have laughed at the irony of it all. Here they were—four of the world's most renowned villains, sitting in the Teen Titan's living room. The super-fast twins—Mas and Morse or something—and Kid Flash were rapidly consuming the food that had been set out, so he guessed they weren't poisonous, and he had a fresh bandage around his side._

"_I can't heal you all completely and stay conscious," Raven had explained, "The worst of the damage is fixed. Don't strain yourself for a week and you'll be as good as new."_

_They both knew he'd be off stealing paintings for greedy old men with big wallets tomorrow._

_Jade was positive she'd been in worse shape—she just couldn't remember when. She supposed she should be grateful that the Titans hadn't just locked them up after they'd come to their senses, but really, she'd half-expected it. They were really too kind for their own good._

_Reaching for a cookie, she chewed, swallowed, and ignored Speedy's "told you she was human," as he collected money from a grumbling Beast Boy._

_Kitten was having the time of her life. Free food, a comfortable couch, and cute boys to flirt with—ok, so maybe the last one was going to get her hexed into next week, but hey, nothing was perfect, right?_

_They all knew that tomorrow they'd be enemies again. The Titans wouldn't be lenient or give them special favors if they broke the law, and the villains would fight back with all their strength._

_Still—for now, as Xavier flirted with every girl in the room, as Jade found that she had a weakness for chocolate crème, as Kitten bickered with Jaya and reminisced about the old days, and as Mumbo Jumbo nearly got himself killed by trying to convince Raven to be his assistant—the villains had to admit that it was nice to be the good guys for once._


	11. An Atlantian Tale

_Taking suggestions...I think I've finally run out of ideas. Anyway, I was reading my summary and I realized I never actually wrote a piece where Aqualad was an original member. Hope you guys enjoy... and review!_

* * *

><p><strong>An Atlantian Tale<strong>

* * *

><p><em>I'm better without them.<em>

_Garth sighed in frustration as he shot through the seas, feeling the soft waves lick at his sides as he covered more distance than was humanly possible. Then again, he wasn't human. Nor Atlantian either, according to the man he'd once called father._

_I don't miss him. I'm not hurt. I—oh, by Poseidon trident he really did not want to deal with land-dweller media right now._

_The radio waves made his head buzz—not every Atlantian had the power to interpret mechanical sound-waves, but Garth had always been an exception. His father—the King—had called him special. Others had called him a freak._

_I guess it's obvious whose feelings mattered more._

_The radio waves were especially loud today, Garth frowned, diving deep underwater to avoid the buzzing. What were the inane creatures babbling about this time? If it was another broadcast about some extra-marital affair between two of their celebrities—his frown deepened as his sensitive ears picked up the sound of fish darting around in panic, responding to a frequency humans couldn't hear._

_What the—Earth didn't have this kind of technology yet._

_Garth sped up, tearing through the shallower waters of the bay before leaping out of the ocean and onto the docks. He was just in time to see a flash of pink and green hit the ground, the resulting waves almost sending him falling backwards. He leapt forward instead, heading towards the point of impact._

_The place was strangely free of screaming, but he still had to weave through panicking crowds as they scrambled away from the battle scene. An alien princess—Tameranean, he suspected, based on the starbolts shooting from her hands—was currently doing her best to fend off a group of aliens he couldn't place._

"_Move, unless you're here to help," the voice was crisp, commanding, and Garth swerved to the side instinctively as a group of four teens shot past him. They were unknown to him, but then again, he didn't keep up with land-dweller heroes—except Superman, Batman, and the other founders, whom Atlantis had brief dealings with._

_Watching them work, however, was a thing of beauty. Garth sucked in his breath as they fought, and saw a painting. True, it was not perfect. There were rough edges where the metal-man hit too hard and threw off the masked boy, or when the green shape-shifter was too hasty and forced the dark-haired girl to save him—but as a whole, they were breathtaking._

_And losing._

_Garth had been trained as a prince—before—and he'd studied battles intensely under tutors who knew that knowing how to judge an outcome of a battle was one of the most important skills a leader could have. The group in front of him were definitely losing. They simply didn't have enough brute power. Individually, they picked off the aliens, but by the time they defeated the new ones, the old ones were staggering back up. They needed a wide burst of power that would stun the bunch permanently. He imagined the ocean surging up to take them away._

_A soft gasp shook him out of his thoughts and he turned to see the cloaked girl, who'd been thrown into a wall a couple yards away, staring at him with big violet eyes—and then he felt her voice in his head. "Can you do that? This species of Mxrans can't swim."_

_Telepathic, he noted, and then what she was asking hit him. Help a land-dweller? It went against everything he'd ever been taught. If he swept this trash into his ocean, the wildlife would suffer. The debris would require weeks of cleaning, and the publicity that would follow would render him forever taboo to Atlantis._

_It's not like I have anything waiting there anyway._

_She saw his answer in his mind and in a dark flash had her team-mates and the Tameranean up out of harm's way. Garth concentrated, pulling at the seas. They responded easily—eagerly—to his call, flooding the land with all their harsh splendor. He felt the liquid, warm and inviting on his calves and rode the waves, maneuvering the Mxrans until they were swept back into the bay. His eyes and ears were filled with the roaring of the water, but he could feel the heroes dropping in to save civilians caught in the waters._

_They were gone._

_The waters ebbed away, and he was left on the hard, unforgiving earth, listening to the cries of the fish—his people—as they fled the bay. It would take months for them to return. Months for the bodies to decay and become beneficiary rather than harmful. He felt no pity for the Mxran lives, for every Atlantian warrior is trained to kill if it is the only way out. _

"_Dude, that was pretty cool," the green one sized him up and down before meeting his eyes with a big grin, "I'm Beast Boy. What's your name?"_

"_Gar—" he started, and coughed, "Aqualad." No sense in giving his past an open door to his future. His warrior name had served him well in the tournaments, and perhaps word might get back to Atlantis of him, and the King would know he was moving on._

"_You did a good thing today, Aqualad," the masked boy was his age and as far as Garth could tell he was completely human, "Koriandr is our Tameranean ambassador. Having her die on our planet would have seriously damaged our relationship with her side of the galaxy."_

_Koriandr smiled at him. "Yes, I thank you very much," she said, making the formal Atlantian bow, "My people are in your debt."_

_He found himself bowing back as a prince and stopped himself. "Thank you."_

"_So," the half-metal man said, "I'm Cyborg, you can call me Cy, that's Raven, he's Robin, and wanna ditch this place 'fore the media gets here and grab some pizza?" He gave Aqualad a friendly pat on the back, "Trust me, water-boy, you don't want to be here when the loud ones demanding payment for their cars and stuff get here. You'd think people would be more grateful that we prevented an international incident."_

_Aqualad could hear the humming in the air that signaled the approach of TV vans—lots of them. He nodded, and followed as Cyborg led them off through a back alley and into what was obviously his car. He was about to comment on the wisdom of hiding in a car that screamed "land-dweller hero inside!" but then Raven flipped a switch and the car shifted, taking the essence of a large white van._

"_Makes me feel like a pedo every time," Cyborg muttered, and revved the engine, "Let's go."_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**1. Titans**

They make the invitation before the pizza arrives, and for a moment he's so stunned all he can do is blink and listen as Robin explains that ever since Starfire's been made Queen of Tameran they've been without a fifth member and they really could use all the help they could get. And just like that, he's offered a way out, a path that doesn't involve solitude and hours wondering if he would still be Atlantis if things—_if I'd—_had been different.

**2. Food**

They order take-out most of the time until they realize that Aqualad is actually a decent cook of something other than waffles and tofu dishes. Unfortunately, finding a dish that doesn't involve any kind of fish or meat, and still won't make Cyborg gag proves to be quite a challenge. They end up eating pasta a lot.

**3. Girls**

Raven deals with the tower full of boys pretty well, but when Starfire comes to visit they disappear for hours and the dark-haired empathy comes out looking slightly exasperated but happier than she does before the Tameranean arrives. Aqualad tries to find out what they do alone—only to get stopped by a spell so powerful he's almost certain even the stuffy court mages back ho—in _Atlantis_—wouldn't have been able to bypass it.

**4. Justice**

"Dude, that is so not fair," Beast Boy commented, watching as the flocks of screaming girls descended upon the shirtless Aqualad, "How long has he been here—a month?" Watching a blushing Raven do her best to look unaffected, Robin had to agree.

**5. Dynamic**

They'd been complete with Starfire—and though Aqualad helped fill the gap somewhat, he had to find his own place in the team. He couldn't be Raven's girlfriend, so he settled for being the calm balance between Beast Boy's pranks and her need for quiet. He was far from innocent, but his quiet naivety about "land-dweller antics" provided much needed laughter to the heroes.

**6. Dynamic (part 2)**

There was one pair of Starfire's shoes that Aqualad filled quite easily—that of being the adored, fan-mail getting, marriage proposal receiving and yet totally oblivious hottie of the group. Smothering an uncharacteristic grin, Raven watched the look of pure terror on Aqualad's face as he fled from his admirers.

**7. Wary**

He'd been cautious around the empath at first, remembering how easily she'd accessed his mind, and wondering whether she could—and had—seen more. After two days, she confronted him with a simple, "I don't peek. We all have secrets," and that was that. He'd never been good at mistrusting people anyway, it's why Atlantis shocks him so much when they cast him out for being illegitimate and different.

**8. Robin**

Try as he might, Aqualad couldn't quite figure him out. It couldn't have been easy, being the only true land-dweller of the group, and yet the others looked to him with a mix of deference and affection that few leaders possessed. During those few weeks when Robin seemingly defected over to Slade, Aqualad refused to believe it simply based on this fact—no one would be stupid enough to give away being respected and loved.

**9. Kumbayah**

He was acquainted with the song, but as he watched his friends huddle next to the meager fire they'd managed to construct, he guessed that the artist hadn't met for it to be sung after a fight with one of the most powerful demons in existence—a fight that had resulted in the death of one of their members.

**10. The Farthest Journey**

"I'm coming with you."

Robin gave him a hard look. "What makes you think—"

"If there's any chance she's still alive, I'm going with you. Atlantians never leave one of their own behind." He forced a smile, "Besides, you're going to need a lot of water to quench all that fire and brimstone."

**11. Bonding**

"You said Atlantians never leave one of their own behind," Robin said as he smashed his fist into the fire-ghoul's face, "How did you wind up in Jump then?" Watching as the Atlantian faltered, nearly getting his head burned clean off, Slade gave an annoyed sigh. "I know that adversity is supposed to breed brotherhood, but can you two save it for after we escape the burning depths of the seven hells?"

**12. Names**

"I'm Garth," he says, "Former Atlantian prince. I was exiled because I had tainted blood—my mother was not the Queen. They covered it up, saying it was because I could hear the sound-waves from land-dwell—_human _technology, but my fa—the_ King _couldn't even look me in the eye when he said it. He was never a good liar."

There's a pause. Then Raven says very gently, "You didn't have to tell us."

Aqualad shrugged. "There's something about journeying through hell that makes you realize that names and pasts really don't matter in the long run."

**13. Archenemy**

Unlike the others of the group, Garth never develops an archenemy. He does, however, develop a protective streak. Those who would hurt his friends have glanced at his stormy, fathomless eyes, and have been unpleasantly reminded that the body is composed of quite a bit of water, and that though he has yet to do it, Aqualad could probably pull all that water out of them in a moment.

**14. Competitive**

Beast Boy's jealous of him at first, and he accepts that. (It doesn't mean he doesn't swim harder, trying to beat the great green shark speeding beside him—he's never lost a race yet and doesn't plan to.) However, when he finally meets the Doom Patrol and realizes where Beast Boy gets his insecurities from, he gives the man a glare that has Mento wondering just how a lad not much older than Garfield can look like he has the power of the ocean behind him—in the middle of the desert.

**15. Royalty**

"Hey, do y'all realize that we have two princesses—sorry Rae, you _are_ kind of a princess—and a prince. Two, if you count Rob, whose foster dad's rich enough to practically buy a kingdom. Man, with so much royal blood, shouldn't we at least be exempt from taxes or _something_?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Strangely enough, when news got back to Atlantis that he was now a land-dweller hero, things shifted in his favor. Apparently, the "Teen Titans" were very popular in Atlantian culture. Had Garth been left with his peasant mother instead of trained in the palace, he no doubt would have grown up with Robin and Raven posters or a Beast Boy stuffed animal._

_And so, just like that, he was no longer in exile. No longer a prince either—the fact remained that he was illegitimate and could never inherit—but no longer an outcast. He could return home, reunite with his father, be a war hero._

_And that wasn't even the strange part._

_No, the strange part was that the Titans had to convince Aqualad to go see his father. No, not convince—they had to bodily drag the Atlantian to the ocean before the former prince would even consider reunion. Even then, it had been a difficult task._

"_Do you want to get rid of me so badly?" Garth demanded, teeth clenched as he struggled helplessly against the iron grip of a green gorilla._

_Raven came into view, a dark shadow against the huge animal holding him captive. He could barely see her rolling her eyes, but the exasperation was definitely there as she said, "We all know that's not true, and we'll miss you while you're gone. But we also know that you need to find closure with your past before you can truly be happy with us."_

"_Fish-ba—"_

"_Careful, water-boy," Cyborg said cheerfully, patting him on the head, "You don't want to be polluting the air. We have to breathe it, remember?"_

_Garth finally stopped struggling as they reached the ocean's edge. He could hear the calling of the dolphins—the King had sent a formal entourage. As if sensing him giving in, Beast Boy let go, and Aqualad turned, noticing for the first time the sadness etched into his friends' faces._

"_Have fun," Beast Boy said, forcing a smile, "Don't forget about us when you're getting fed seaweed on a plate and mermaids are washing your hair."_

_Garth stared, and then threw his hands in the air in absolute frustration, "You guys literally force me to go back to Atlantis and then stand there looking like I'm about to leave you forever. Land-dwellers, I will never understand you. Keep my pool clean."_

_And with that, he leapt into the water, a huge wave drenching the other Titans a moment later. Cyborg shook the liquid out of his joints and glanced the others. "Uh, I think its safe to say he did that on purpose. And he's coming back."_

_Shooting through the water with the dolphins beside him, Aqualad rolled his eyes. Stupid land-dwellers, he thought affectionately, of course I'm coming back._


	12. One Man's Dream, Teen Titans' Nightmare

Summary: Sort of the sequel to "Hero For a Day," because I really like Chesire and Red-X. When Control Freak takes over the Magic Kindom—no one is safe.

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><p><strong>One Man's Dream is the Teen Titans' Nightmare<strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm dreaming."<em>

"_No, babe, I'm pretty sure you're awake, 'cause if you were dreaming, then I'd be dreaming, and we'd be wearing a lot less."_

_Jade shot her companion a look of pure disgust. "Of all the stupid pinheads to be stuck with, it just had to be you, didn't it?"_

_Red-X winked, "You know you love me." He ducked, narrowly avoiding Jade's angry swipe. "What were you doing in Jump anyway? I mean, not really your home turf."_

_Jade considered leaping at him again, but as annoying as Xavier was, he was the only semi-ally she had here in—she frowned at the sign, which proclaimed in big, colorful letters: C.F.'S LAND—WHERE DREAMS DO COME TRUE._

_Ok, weird._

"_I was looking for Raven," she admitted grudgingly, "Ever since the Dr. Light incident, I've been itching for another round." Noticing the smirk that was growing on Red-X's face—how does he even do that with a mask on?—she casually took out a knife and began spinning it. "Watch your next words very carefully, Xavier, or I'll conveniently forget that you could be useful."_

_His mouth snapped shut and she allowed herself a small smile behind the mask. "Now, let's start figuring out where we are."_

_As if her words had triggered some switch, a screen suddenly flickered to life, and a familiar voice shrieked, "GREETINGS TITANS!" Control Freak grinned down at them, before abruptly fading when he realized who they were. "Hey," he said, nasally voice bordering on a whine, "You're not the Titans."_

"_No shit, Sherlock," Jade heard Red-X mutter, and tried valiantly not to roll her eyes as Control Freak actually started to pout. "Why are you two here?" the man asked._

"_You tell us, Bart, and then you better get us out before I decide to carve a hole in your gut." Jade smiled, but her voice was several degrees below zero, and dropping rapidly._

"_Bart?" Xavier asked, snickering, and she jabbed at him, eyes never leaving the screen._

_The self-proclaimed sci-fi geek gulped, Adam's apple bobbing wildly, "You weren't supposed to be here," he said, the sheen of sweat evident on his forehead, "Only Jump city was supposed to affected!"_

"_Well, you failed to consider that we might be in Jump." Jade started twirling her knives, "Explain yourself."_

_Bart Franklin, (a.k.a. Control Freak), seemed to regain some composure then. Drawing himself up, he boomed proudly what could only be described as an over-rehearsed monologue meant for the Teen Titans. Jade pitied them._

"_I, Control Freak, have sent you all into a different world—MY WORLD! Here, you have been trapped in different lands of my MAGIC KINGDOM and if you do not manage to COMPLETE my tasks before SUNDOWN, here you will stay—FOREVER! MWAHAHAHA!"_

_Jade actually felt herself blushing for Control Freak. This man was seriously in need of therapy, support—and friends. Lots and lots of friends._

"_So, let me get this straight," Red-X's metallic voice sounded a bit strangled, and Jade carefully avoided looking at him. "You've trapped Bird Boy and his buddies in _Disneyland_? Your own warped, twisted version of the 'happiest place on earth?'" The last word was barely understandable as her companion literally fell over laughing. _

"_The saddest part was that you managed to say all that with a straight face," Jade muttered, sending Xavier over the edge again. She ignored her gasping companion and gave Control Freak her most threatening look. "Listen, Bart. I don't care what you do with the Titans, as long as you leave Raven intact enough for me to cut up. But get us out." She glanced at the still hysterical Xavier. "On second thought, just get me out. You can leave him."_

"_S-sorry, Cheshire," Control Freak started sweating, "Uh, I don't know how to do that. The only way to break the spell is to reunite the original Titans. And kiss Sleeping Beauty. And kill the dragon. Good luck!" And just like that, he was gone, leaving a iron castle gate in his wake._

_Jade's teeth hurt, they were clenched so tightly. "He's going to die," she hissed, and kicked Xavier viciously in the ribs. The masked boy rolled nimbly out of the way, but stopped laughing. Getting to his feet, he offered her a mocking bow. "So, highness, what are we going to do?"_

_Jade ignored the bow and started forward, "We're going to complete his sick little tasks, and then, after we get out, we're going to pay him a very special visit."_

"_Ooh, I like that," Xavier said, "Can I come? The idea of watching you, Starfire, and Raven beat Bart up is hotter than you two fighting each other." Jade felt her hand jerk and restrained herself from hurling Red-X out of consciousness.s_

"_I need him, I need him," she chanted silently. Blowing a breath, they passed through the gates and she turned and gave him a tight smile, "If you're good, I'll even let you kiss Sleeping Beauty. Now let's get to work."_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**1. Partners**

Once Jade calmed down and Xavier started taking things seriously, she realized that maybe having him with her wasn't that bad after all. Dirty-mouthed as he was, he was a good thief and quick on his feet, both qualities that would help them while they fulfilled Control Freak's twisted game. Also, he'd obviously visited Disneyland quite a few times, which she found just a bit endearing—not to mention useful.

**2. Small Mercies**

"At least he made it easy to find them," Xavier noted, pointing at the map he'd snatched from somewhere, "'Cyborg's Treehouse,' 'Starfire in Wonderland,' 'Robin's Small World,' 'Beast Boy in Neverland,' and 'Raven of the Caribbean?' Is this guy for real?"

"Thank God for small mercies," was all Jade could say as they ran for the first stop.

**3. Almost Normal**

If she ignored the glassy-eyed civilians, the posters of Control Freak, and random glimpses of people she thought she recognized, Jade could have let herself enjoy the trip. If she forgot that they had a deadline before being stuck here and she'd never gotten the chance to say goodbye to the few people who'd really mattered to her, it could have been almost normal. If Red-X hadn't grabbed her arm and pointed wordlessly at what turned out to be Billy Numerous dressed as all seven dwarves and whistling tunelessly as he marched right past them, she might have forgotten she was afraid.

Then Red-X stole a camera from a nearby tourist and snapped a picture, and Jade had to smile because really, he was the only part of this situation that was almost normal, and right now, he was keeping her sane.

**4. Burden**

She felt as if a rock had been lifted off her shoulders after they ran into Starfire, (wearing Alice's traditional blue and white dress), and Robin, who turned out to be an Arabic puppet from "It's a Small World," much to Xavier's mirth. Beast Boy crashed into them a couple minutes later as a very confused crocodile, and after clearing up the fact that they were all very mad at Control Freak and blaming him for the whole mess, she realized that they were well on their way to completing the tasks.

**5. Metallic Tarzan**

She'd never really understood what Jaya and Karen saw in the metal man, but as she watched him sitting Tarzan-style with only a loincloth wrapped around his waist, she found herself starting to get their attraction. _How did a man who never wore clothes look half naked—and hot?_

**6. Raven of the Caribbean**

Jade had expected Raven to show up of her own accord—she _had _traveled all the way from Japan in order to exchange blows with the half-demoness—so it wasn't with little trepidation that she and the others got into the boat that would take them into the plastic-looking caves. What they finally found was a red-eyed Raven doing her best to cut down a group of zombie pirates who just kept getting back up—wearing a thick, layered dress of all things.

Only Xavier had the guts to comment—which turned out to be a good thing because at his cheeky "You go, Elizabeth Turner," Raven finally exploded and turned the zombie pirates into bits of ash in one angry wave of power.

**7. Pity**

Listening to Raven and Jade plan out exactly how they were going to torture Control Freak—Starfire had shimmied away in resigned horror after hearing their topic of discussion—Xavier couldn't help but feel sorry for the plump villain. It was almost enough to scare him into giving up his camera—but then, where would be the fun in that?

**8. Snap!**

_Snap! _Raven in an Elizabethan dress planning bloody murder with Jade.

_Snap! _Robin as a puppet wearing a turban and riding a magic carpet.

_Snap! _Starfire twirling happily in her Alice dress.

_Snap! _Cyborgian Tarzan riding on Beast Boy, who was still a crocodile.

"If you don't quit taking pictures," Raven growled as he sidled in for a close-up, "The next thing going _snap! _will be your arm."

**9. Dragon Killing**

The dragon turned out to be Malchior, and while it was interesting to watch Raven vengefully take out her ex, it was also a bit disturbing. Seriously, with all the guys who'd be more than happy to show her a good time, she chose a freakin' dragon? Really?

Luckily, Xavier kept these thoughts to himself, or Malchior's head wouldn't have been the only one disconnected from his body.

**10. Uh…**

"Wait," Robin said, "You're saying that one of the tasks was to kiss Sleeping Beauty. I get that we killed the dragon, and I see the tower, but if we're all here, then who's Sleeping Beauty?"

"Ooh, I will do the checking!" Starfire said, and she flew up to the tower. Suddenly, those still on the ground heard a horrified shriek, and Starfire emerged ashen, carrying a bundle.

"Well, who is it?" Xavier demanded, leaning in, only to recoil, because lo and behold, the figure lying on the white mattress was none other than—

**11. Dilemma**

"No way in hell," Red-X said.

"You want to stay here forever?"

"Sure, Sunshine, if it means staying forever with you looking like _that._"

"Let me rephrase—do you want to go through immense pain and torture before I release you to the mercy of whatever Jade can add?"

"Still not gonna do it, beautiful. I'd rather suffer torture at your hands," (said hands twitched convulsively), "then put my lips anywhere near our—uh, 'Sleeping Beauty.'"

Raven glared at Control Freak, who was snoring quite loudly as he slumbered peacefully, a little puddle of drool pooling around his mouth. "I'm going to hurt you so badly."

**12. No.**

"Apologies, friend, but I do not think I can do it."

"Don't look at me."

"Raven, not even funny."

"…feel like dying, demon?

Beast Boy whimpered.

Raven felt a headache coming on. How was it possible for so many people to refuse without anyone actually saying the word?

**13. Countdown**

They were down to half-an-hour when Robin came up with his brilliant plan. It took three minutes to lay it out for the rest of the group, twelve minutes for everyone to disappear, ten for everyone to return, and two for them to decide which unlucky hypnotized villain to use.

"Mother May-Eye," Robin said with a polite smile as the glassy-eyed witch was pushed forward, "You may now kiss the groom."

**14. Loud**

Somewhere in Japan, a man paused. No, he hadn't been imagining it, there was definitely a scream drifting quietly across the wind, tinted with magic and several auras. One especially caught his mind. _Little sister, what have you gotten into this time?_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"_The really disturbing thing is that they actually hit it off," Raven said, sipping her tea. The two girls had decided to visit one of Raven's favorite establishments for a drink after Control Freak's World had disintegrated and Red-X had tried to disappear with the camera._

_Jade shrugged. "Well, from the rumors, they both have an unhealthy obsession with your group, a love of baked goods, and absolutely no sense of respectability whatsoever." She sipped gingerly at her own tea, not quite sure whether it was wise to drink something from a café named "Poisons."_

"_Isn't that a strange thing to say, considering your occupation?"_

"_Not at all." Jade took a larger sip of the tea, "We have our own code of behavior, and what Control Freak did today definitely violated it. His little trick didn't just affect you, it affected everyone in Jump. And Jump isn't his to mess with."_

"_And this is different from Slade's little takeover because…"_

"_Slade's not a pathetic idiot who lives in his mother's basement."_

"_Ah." Raven's eyes met hers, and despite the mask Cheshire swore those violet orbs were memorizing her face. She took extra care as she took another sip of tea, tilting the mask as little as possible. Raven's lips quirked in a half-smile. "So how respectable are you and Xavier?"_

_At Cheshire's look, Raven shrugged. "He let it slip the last time we fought. I think Robin's narrowed it down to twenty-five hundred possible people by now. You're still unknown, in case you're wondering."_

_She was wondering, but Raven didn't need to know that. "We're respectable enough," she said instead, "Even Xavier. He's a thief, but he's very good and that's where he gets his credibility. I'm the best in my field." She smiled, and the empath smiled back, letting Jade know she'd heard and understood the hidden challenge._

"_Red-X did mention something about why you were here," she mused, "I'd be more than willing to take you up on your offer—after we get that camera back. Robin should have his coordinates by now."_

_Jade's smile turned feral. "Just give me a time and place, Raven. Time and place."_

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><p>The more you review, the faster I'll update! Feedback from you guys definitely helps get my mind a'rollin.<em><br>_


	13. Scotch, Beer, a Girls' Night to Remember

_Author's Note: There is probably no way this would ever happen, but I wanted to write a fic where the Teen Titans have their guards down completely—and getting them all drunk seemed the best way to do it. This fic takes place a couple years after the cartoon series, the Titans are mostly in their twenties—and someone's getting married!_

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><p><strong>One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Girls' Night to Remember<strong>

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><p>"<em>Are you sure this is a good idea?"<em>

_The soon-to-be married couple didn't know it—but they were asking the exact same question, albeit in very different situations, to very different people, and in very different tones._

_Raven, currently swamped under Starfire, Bee, and Kole, (who all seemed to be under the impression that if they snuggled close enough, she'd relent), directed the question at the seemingly only other sane girl in the room. "Argent, are you positive this won't end in disaster?"_

"_Promise, mate." Argent winked, "Come'on, Raven, it's your last night as a free gal, don't ya wanna make the most of it?"_

_Raven sighed, rolling her eyes as Bee slung an arm around her waist and started pleading straight into her ear. "I hardly see how going out, getting wasted, and probably doing something stupid counts as 'making the most' of anything."_

"_It's the experience that counts," Argent insisted, "When you're hitched, darling, your hubby will have all the rights to that gorgeous bod of yours. This is your last night as a free woman!" She smirked, sidling closer, "Besides, I bet Robin's already given in to the lads."_

_Violet eyes narrowed._

"_I bet he gave them no trouble at all."_

_Gray lips tightened._

"_Yes, friend Robin seemed most cooperative when we saw him last."_

_A raised eyebrow._

"_Please, Raven?"_

_The empath sighed, getting caught in Kole's pleading blue eyes despite herself. "You're too good at that," she muttered, and the girl smiled—a big, bright, innocent smile that did her in. "No," she tried for the last time, "My wedding's tomorrow and the entire Justice League will be there—"_

_Bee, sharp to weakness despite her current physical position, sensed Raven's resolve slipping. "Come on, Rae-Rae. We'll be back before you know it. It can't hurt to go out for a bit, can it?"_

_Raven nodded reluctantly, "I suppose not." Breaking free of the arms that suddenly threatened to push all the oxygen from her body, she shot the celebrating girls a warning look. "I'm not getting wasted and having a one-night stand with a stranger, mind you, but I suppose a couple drinks and some fun won't hurt."_

_She got to her feet, shedding heroines, only to have Starfire grab her arm in a Tameranean grip. "Friend Raven, what do you think you are doing?"_

"_Uh, going out?"_

_She yanked free and headed for the door again, only to be stopped by a slow, sultry voice._

"_Oh no, Rae, you're not leaving the building like that." Jinx prowled into the room like a pink-haired lioness, boldly raking her gaze up and down Raven's body, "That would be too much of a waste."_

"_I have the perfect outfit," Argent piped up, "Glad you could make it, Jinx."_

_Raven ignored the New Zealander, focusing instead on the newcomer. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Jinx, if you're here, then Kid Flash is with Robin. If they get themselves killed the day before my wedding, I'll kill you and leave your body for H.I.V.E. Got it?"_

_Jinx grinned. "Love ya too, Rae-Rae. I'm good, how are you?"_

"_I'm warning you, Jaya—"_

"_Oh, don't be such a bore, Rae." Jinx rolled her eyes dramatically, "They'll be good. Wally promised me that all they have planned is nice, safe fun." Her smile turned feral. "Us, on the other hand—"_

_The atmosphere thickened and Raven suddenly felt caged in as all the girls in the room turned on her—minus Kole, who was smiling apologetically from her closet, in which hung several outfits she _knew_ she didn't own._

_She eyed them warily. "What do you plan on doing?"_

_Bee's voice was too innocent. "We just want to make sure you look your best on this very important night."_

"_Yes, friend Raven, we are going to make you look like the dreams of adolescent boys going through the puberty!"_

"_Don't even try to resist, darling. I've been waiting for this for a long time."_

_Raven seriously considered phasing through the ground and teleporting back to Azarath, but before she could move Jinx had a grip on her arm and was pulling her towards her closet. "Time to primp for your last night as a free woman."_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**1. Wardrobe**

She didn't up looking like a stripper, (fortunately for her, Jinx's more daring taste was balanced out by Kole's more delicate eye and Argent's love of frills), but the slinky black dress was still something she wasn't quite comfortable with.

"Don't complain to us, girl," Bee scolded as she caught Raven's mutinous expression, "You wear a _leotard _on a daily basis. Don't tell me you can't stomach something a bit tight."

**2. Plans**

Raven didn't know whether to be amused or relieved when she realized her "hen party" didn't have a specific destination in mind. Jinx wanted to teleport to Vegas and wreak havoc in the casinos, ("We're practically _psychic_, it'll be perfect."), Starfire and Bee wanted to go dancing, Argent wanted to hit the mall, and Kole just wanted to celebrate the fact that she was finally old enough to drink alcohol.

They ended up renting a room in the most expensive hotel they could find—Jinx waggled Wally's credit card when Raven protested—and going to the adjoining bar for drinks and music. Watching as her friends laughed, drank, and teased Kole for downing her alcohol with seemingly no side-effects, Raven couldn't help but think this was the best place to have ended up in anyway.

**3. Photolicious**

They didn't know when the tabloids showed up, (ever since they'd gone public with their secret identities, there'd been no stopping them), or when the cameras started going off, but by then the Titan girls were all a bit tipsy and posing provocatively didn't seem at all like a bad idea.

Kole, who was still managing to hold her liquor, wasn't sure if the word Starfire was giggling was actually a word, but she had to agree that it described them perfectly—if the amount of flash going off was any indication.

**4. Dancing**

Starfire threw herself wholeheartedly into the music, Raven and Bee were sex on legs, Argent had actually taken lessons, and Kole knew how to work it on the dance floor—but it was Jinx who took over the room as she swayed, twisted, and _danced_.

Later, when a drunk Bee demanded how Jinx did it, the pink-haired witch would wink saucily and deny that she knew anything about what they were talking about. They didn't need to know that in the months after H.I.V.E. Five and before Wally, the dance floor was like therapy, chocolate, and security rolled into one.

**5. ** **Faithful**

Unfortunately for the available, (and some unavailable but hopeful), men in the room, the unavailable Titan girls remained loyal to their boyfriends despite the amount of alcohol in their systems.

Also, the knowledge that any man that was too forward could end up feeling the nasty end of a batarang, flaming fist, sonic cannon, angry speedster, or pissed-of Jericho helped weed out most of the rabble, and the more forward ones were met with icy looks that reminded them that, ass-shakin,' martini-sippin' hotties or no, they were still Titans.

**6. Luckily for Them—**

Starfire, however, (especially an intoxicated Starfire), was more than willing to show that she was single and ready to mingle. Most of the rabble were still left nursing their broken hearts in their beer bottles, but the few handsome charmers that caught her eye would never forget the night they met the Tameranean Princess.

**7. Mellow**

By the time midnight rolled around, the girls were more than ready to crash in the luxurious bedroom Jinx had rented, but not even close to being ready to sleep. Instead, Starfire took charge and declared that they working going "to do the girl-talk!" The others, even Raven, were buzzed enough not to complain.

**8. Matchmaking**

"Melvin and Mas! I know I saw some chemistry the last time they met."

"What about Menos and Melvin? I think he's the sweeter of the two."

"Menos? You've got to be kidding. Ever since he and his brother grew hormones he's been using that sweet n' shy act to get the ladies. I swear, he and his brother have more girls over than Speedy and Aqualad ever did."

"Speaking of which—is the rumor about Speedy and Cheshire true?"

"No _way_. Jade would eat the poor boy alive. She should totally be with Bushido though, they have the whole Asian chemistry going…"

**9. Where Rumors Die and Regenerate**

"Ok, so midnight rendezvous with Red-X, true?"

Starfire blushed and shook her head before turning to Raven, "Friend Raven, on the other hand, had quite the run-in with the Red-X a couple weeks ago. Robin was quite unhappy…"

**10. Never Have I…**

"Done it. You know, _it._" Three girls drank.

"Been a villain." Jinx and Bee shot Argent a dirty look, but drank anyway.

"Been rich, spoiled Daddy's girl." This time it was Argent's turn to shoot the smug Jinx a dirty look as she drank.

"Made out with a guy from the wrong side of the tracks—while I was a hero." Kole hesitated, blushing, and drank.

Five pairs of eyes fixed on the blushing twenty-one year old, and Kole sighed. "It was a couple years ago after a really boring summer—"

**11. Q&A with a Bride-to-Be**

"When did you realize he was the one?"

"Slade had a gun to his head and I threatened to kill Rose if he even though about pulling the trigger." A brief hesitation, and a quick glance to make sure Kole was still asleep, "I threatened to kill Jericho too. After I realized I'd been willing to murder for him, it was pretty obvious."

"What would you do if he ever lost control and became completely obsessive?"

"Drag his butt to counseling and refuse to let him anywhere near Robin until he had Richard sorted out."

"Most romantic moment?"

"He introduced me as, and I quote, 'the most beautiful, intelligent, wonderful girlfriend in the world,' at a Justice League party." A pause and a smirk. "In _front _of his exes."

"Most awkward moment?"

No hesitation. "Meeting Batman."

**12. Sleep**

Kole was the one who drifted off first, but Starfire soon conked out as well, her snores making the others yawn. Bee succumbed to her drooping eyelids next, and Argent followed with a sleepy, "'Night, mates," leaving Raven and Jinx the only ones left awake.

Their eyes met across the sleeping bodies of their teammates, and Jinx raised an eyebrow. Raven smirked, and pointedly closed her eyes, making herself comfortable on the king-sized bed. No one said it, but the inherent, "_I trust you_" was as clear as if they'd shouted it.

**13. Sisters**

Had someone happened to see the girls that night, they would have sworn they were related. Despite the wide variety of hairstyles and skin-color, they moved with a familiar harmony that could only be attained by true friendship. And when, sometime around two, they all fell asleep, it would take someone with a heart of stone not to smile at the picture they made.

Raven was stuck in the middle, with Starfire sprawled half on top and Bee laying across her legs. Kole curled under her arm and Argent was on her other side, with her arm interlinked with Jinx's. The villain, who'd been the last to submit to sleepiness, was somehow under Starfire and over Bee at the same time—and unless one looked closely, it was difficult to see where one started and the other ended.

It was sisterhood at its strongest.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"_I always thought you'd end up with someone dangerous," Bee confided, studying Raven carefully, "Someone like Red-X, or Kyd Wicked."_

_Jinx snorted. "Elliot's a sweetie, and he's had a crush on you ever since you trapped him in one of your black bubble-thingys." She stretched, shooting a narrow-eyed glance at Bee, "'Sides, just because Bird Boy's a hero doesn't mean he's not dangerous. Let me tell you, when I was on the opposite side of the tracks, he could be really threatening."_

"_I always thought you and Beast Boy would make a cute couple," Argent said, "And will y'all pipe down? My 'ead's killin' me." She growled at the smirks Raven and Bee were exchanging, "Not all of us are superhuman alcohol retainers."_

"_You got that right, sister." Jinx's voice was cheerful, and thought the pink-haired witch didn't show any outward signs of pain, the careful way she stood made it clear she was hung-over, "Besides, you'll wake the kiddies."_

_The girls glanced at the two Titans who were still asleep, legs intertwined on the bed. Kole gave a small moan, cuddling closer to Starfire, but didn't stir, and the Tameranean's snores went undisturbed. _

"_I bet Jericho would give a couple bucks for a picture," Bee said with a grin, "Where's my camera?"_

_Raven shook her head, smiling as the winged-girl snapped pictures. "Who knew they'd be the kind to sleep off the headache?"_

"_Who knew I'd wish I was anyone but my fabulous self?" Argent muttered, flopping back onto the bed and eliciting a protest from Bee. "Rae, can't you do some magic voodoo on my head or something? Make the ache stop?"_

"_The way you're waving your fingers at me don't make me inclined to perform my 'magic voodoo,'" Raven said dryly, and Argent's hands fell still._

"_If there were a way to heal hangovers," Jinx said, finally giving into the ache and lying down on the couch, "I would have learned it already. Sorry, 'gent, you're on your own."_

_The New Zealander let out a string of curses that made Jinx raise her eyebrows and look at her speculatively. _

"_What?" It was more a growl than anything._

_Jinx smirked. "You must have been a really bad, spoiled rich Daddy's girl."_

_Argent ignored this, choosing instead to heave herself off the bed. "I'm going to order up some breakfast. Some hot toast and jam should take the edge off."_

"_Suit yourself," Raven said, "I'll eat after the banquet._

_There was a silence._

"_Crap." Jinx said, "I completely forgot."_

"_Don't worry," Raven said, smiling sweetly, "You will all be dressed, beautiful, and smiling by the time I walk down the aisle on Bruce's arm. After all, you guys were the ones who assured me that yesterday night would be a good idea."_

_A thought struck Jinx then, and the scowl that had split her face transformed into a grin. "I bet the boys had a wilder night than we did," she said, "Wally texted me some pretty wild things around midnight. I wonder if they'll make it ok."_

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><p>Should it be continued? Want a companion piece on Robin's "night with the guys?" (a.k.a. bachelor's party). Review and let me know!<p> 


	14. Kittens and Bachelor Parties Don't Mix

Want to see the wedding? Review and let me know!**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Kittens and Bachelor Parties Don't Mix<br>**

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><p>"<em>Are you sure this is a good idea?"<em>

_There was a collective sigh as the masked boy asked the question. For the fifth time. To be fair, they hadn't exactly given him an answer yet, but you'd think the prodigy of the world's greatest detective would catch on!_

"_You know, I bet Raven's asking the exact same thing right now," Beast Boy muttered to Cyborg. The half-metal man shrugged and motioned for the green changeling to be quiet._

"_Shh, let the ladies worry about Dark Girl. You worry about Kid working his magic."_

_Robin's self-declared best friend, otherwise known as "Kid Flash," otherwise known as "Wally West," was currently doing his best imitation of a puppy who'd been kicked. And abandoned. And thrown in front of a train._

"_Please, Robbie?"_

_Robin sighed. "Don't call me that, Wally. Every time you call me that, we end up doing something stupid. Or crazy."_

"_Or both," Speedy snickered, "Remember the Mexico incident? Ollie finally stopped bagging on me after 'perfect Richard Grayson' got caught in a stri—"_

"_Shut up, Roy," Robin said, just as Cyborg's interested, "Say what?" filled the room._

_There was a pause in which Robin did his best imitation of Batman, eyes boring into Speedy's. Blue crashed into green, promising things worse than death if the archer dared open his mouth._

"_So anyway, West decides that Robin's becoming too boring and kidnaps him on his birthday. Long story short, they end up drunk in México and on the front cover of every tabloid that gets a picture of them pouring money into a busty redhead's—"_

"_Ok, I'll go," Robin interrupted hastily, "Just—shut up. No one wants to hear this."_

"_I do!" Beast Boy piped up._

_At Robin's glare, he rolled his eyes. "Oh illustrious leader, you can't blame your humble follower for wanting to know that my perfect leader isn't so perfect after all." He grinned, fang showing. "Does Raven know about this adventure?"_

_Robin's smile was everything he needed to know._

"_Aw, you stupid, sappy love-birds suck," the changeling grumbled, "And here I thought I had good blackmail material…"_

_Aqualad stuck his head through the door, Jericho by his side. "Limos are here. All five of them." He frowned, "Honestly, you land-dwellers have the strangest traditions. I hope one of you is paying for it."_

_Robin's head shot up. "Why—"_

"_Do you really want the tabloids following you during your last night as a bachelor?" Roy demanded, "Really, Robin, you're supposed to be the genius of the group. We're taking the helicopter."_

"_Do you at least have a destination in mind?" Robin asked as the group began walking up the stairs and onto the roof of the Wayne mansion. "I have to be back by tomorrow, or Raven will kill me for leaving her at the alter. Then, she'll probably hunt each one of you down and commit grievous acts of torture on you."_

"_Ah, young love," Speedy sighed dramatically, "Don't worry, loverboy, you'll be back in plenty of time."_

_They reached the roof, where a helicopter with a newspaper symbol plastered on the sides. The lack of bulletproof glass and sleek paint ensured that, from below, it would look like any other news-gathering helicopter. Robin hesitated one last time as he got in, "You still haven't answered my question. Where are we going?"_

_His only answer was Jericho all but tumbling into his lap, map in hand. They untangled themselves and Jericho's fingers jerked, pointing at a highlighted city._

_Robin's heart sank. "Great. You guys have no originality."_

"_Hey, you took Raven to Paris and asked her to marry you on top of the Eiffel Tower. We figured you were one for the classics." Aqualad grinned, "Besides, I've never been to Vegas with three billionaires before. I wonder if it's possible to lose all your trust funds in one night?"_

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

**1. Chagrin**

No one was really surprised when the manager of the most expensive casino in Las Vegas came up and greeted "Mr. Harper" by name. They were, however, quite astonished when the man took one look at Jericho, blanched, and refused to let him enter the casino.

**2. Chagrin (part 2)**

"You've been banned from _how _many casinos?" Speedy demanded incredulously, and smacked his forehead when Jericho started flashing his fingers.

Beast Boy grinned, giving the blonde a high-five behind the archer's back. "Cool. I knew you didn't spend all your time on that mountain."

**3. Unwelcome Guest**

They ended up sneaking into "The Mermaid's Tears," (Jericho was forced to possess a stray dog that Beast Boy hid under his jacket). Unfortunately, as soon as they all entered, the doors slammed shut and all the power switched off. A very familiar screen lit up, and an all-too familiar face beamed at them.

"_He_llo, Robbie-poo!"

**4. Bachelor's Party Present…**

Listening as Kitten outlined the details of the strangest scavenger hunt he's ever heard, Robin wasn't sure whether he should be glad that she supported his marriage with Raven, (hence the Bachelor's Party Present), or wishing that she'd just gone with the traditional jealous attack.

**5. …sort of.**

"Of course, you could always refuse, but then I'll have Daddy set off a bunch of bombs tomorrow—and you know how we girls looks forward to that special, perfect wedding day." Kitten smiled. "Don't be such a spoilsport, Robbie-poo. It's only a couple tasks. You'll be done in no time."

**6. Task 1**

Since none of his supposed "friends" volunteer to help, Robin reluctantly makes his way into _that _part of the pharmacy alone. The cashier—a busty woman in her late forties—looks over her glasses like she knows exactly what he's up to, but lets him leave with a simple, "Hope your girlfriend appreciates what you're doing for her."

Hefting the bottle of Viagra, Robin hopes she does too.

**7. Task 2**

He doesn't understand why Kitten wants him and the rest of the guys to go skinny-dipping, but after a lengthy amount of time threatening, blackmailing, and cajoling the others, (and making the point that if Raven found out they were the reason bombs were exploding during her wedding, she wouldn't be happy), they all end up naked in the freezing Jump lake.

When they get back out, their clothes are gone. In their place are stylish sweater-vests and skinny jeans that barely make it over their hips.

**8. Task 3**

They buy drinks at the bar Kitten specifies, and after exactly five minutes it's apparent why exactly the blonde girl sent them there dressed the way they were. All of the Titans boys, (with the exception of Cyborg, who's ability to go without clothes saved him from Kitten's scheme), become very adapt at turning away advances in the hour they're required to spend in the gay bar.

The thing Robin finds hilarious is that both Speedy and Aqualad seem suspiciously smooth in their polite, (and sometimes not-so-polite), brush-offs. "How experienced _are_ you guys?"

The silence is extremely telling.

**9. Task 4**

At some point, Kid gets slipped something and starts acting loopy. It takes him approximately five milliseconds to decide that taking a picture of Robin and Jericho awkwardly pole-dancing is a good idea, two more milliseconds to send it to Jinx.

It takes a couple seconds for Speedy to realize what the speedster is doing, and a couple more for him to decide to say nothing. After all, if Wally wants to risk his butt, it's his business—and he suspects Jinx will be willing to hand the pictures over to him for a couple grand.

**10. Logic**

"Why are we doing this again?"

"So Raven won't kill us for destroying her perfect wedding day. Move your butt, Beast Boy, we need to get some sleep and the hotel's still miles away."

"I still don't understand why we just didn't haul Killer Moth's ass to jail and make sure he stays there until the wedding's over."

"…didn't want to risk it."

"Aw, did the Boy Wonder not think of that? Poor Robbie-poo."

"_Don't _call me that."

**10. Final Task**

It's close to midnight when the bedraggled group walks into the hotel where they'll be required to spend the night. It's dank, smelly, and probably crawling with bugs, but at this point none of the boys care. They collapse in various points around the room and soon the only sound is Wally's snores.

**11. Morning**

They wake up to Kitten's voice obnoxiously warbling that they've successfully completed the challenge, and that she hopes the wedding goes well. Robin is up with a bataraang in one hand and nothing but murder in his eyes, but Kitten is already gone.

In her place is a big basket with a neon-pink card reading, "For the Wedding."

_The wedding._

Cussing fills the air.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"_Crap. Crap. __Crap, crap, crap, crap—"_

_"Beautiful enunciation, Robbie. Simply lovely." Speedy struggled to pull up his pants, "Why are the suits so tight?"_

"_We ordered ours tight, yours is positively indecent." Aqualad smirked, "I seem to remember you saying something about showing off ass?"_

_Speedy rolled his eyes. "Garth, for someone who's supposed to be a prince, you're a dirty little boy."_

_Robin rounded on the two of them with a wild light in his eyes. "Shut up and keep preparing. We can't be late. I can't be late. Where the hell is Wally?"_

_Cyborg checked his arm. "Uh, Egypt, apparently, assuming my tracker's still attached to his scrawny butt."_

"_Chill man," Beast Boy pulled a comb through his carefully gelled hair and winced as it caught. "We'll be there in no time. What is it, an hour by plane?"_

_The door blew open and Kid Flash skidded to a halt in front of them. "Got the jet, but the pilot refuses to take off on the roof of our hotel." He grinned. "I guess we have no choice but to let me dri—"_

"_No."_

_The grin turned into a pout. "You guys are so mean."_

"_Wally, last time you flew a jet I almost died." Speedy shivered, "I'd never seen something so awful as that attempted take-off."_

"_I'll fly the jet," Beast Boy offered, and then wilted under the others' stern gazes, "Ok, sorry. Not funny."_

_Jericho jabbed a finger to himself, eyes challenging them to shoot him down as quickly as they'd shot down Beast Boy._

"_Can you even fly a jet?" Speedy demanded, "Video games don't count."_

_Jericho rolled his eyes and nodded. The message was clear._

_No shit, Sherlock._

"_Ok, so we have our pilot." Robin pulled on his shoes. "Let's go."_

"_I'm not entrusting my life to a guy who spends half his time on some mountain! Who knows if he can really fly a jet or not?"_

"_Cyborg's flying us."_

"_Aw, sorry, little dude. You can copilot for me."_

"_Move it, you guys!" Robin was physically pushing them out the door, a feat that required no little effort._

"_Dude, my pants aren't on yet." Cyborg said as he found himself in the hall, "I don't think Raven will appreciate this level of casual wear."_

"_Use a hologram." Robin snapped, "Bruce will hold it over my head forever if I miss my own wedding. Then, Raven will castrate me and leave me to die in some lonely alternate dimension where she's married to Red-X and—"_

_Aqualad clamped a hand over his mouth to silence the rambling. "You guys should have just eloped. I think the pressure's getting to you."_

"_Ya think?"_


	15. A Birds' Wedding

Review, Review, Review!**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>The Birds' Wedding<strong>

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><p>"<em>You're late." Jinx's smile was just a little less smug than it normally was, and despite the fact that her make-up covered any possible marks, Robin was certain she was hung-over. Which meant maybe Raven was hung-over and unprepared. Which meant maybe he wasn't in deep, deep—<em>

"_Raven's already waiting in the hall, looking pretty. I suggest you handsome fellows get yer sorry asses in gear, because the band's been stallin' for five minutes._

—_shit. Robin didn't respond, choosing instead to race down the hall and towards the entrance to the wedding hall. The group of groomsmen looked at each other as the orchestra swelled, a sure sign that Robin had finally walked through the doors._

"_Uh, was it just me, or did he forget his tie?"_

_Aqualad smiled. "He forgot it."_

_Beast Boy grimaced. "Guess who's going to have to run extra miles during training when Robin comes back from his honeymoon?"_

"_Honey, by the time Raven's done with him, the poor boy won't even be able to remember his last name, let alone the fact that he forgot his tie." Argent propped one hand on her hip, leveling an even stare at the other boys. "Chop, chop, laddies, you guys are up next."_

_They scrambled for the door as the strands of music that would signal their entry time started to play. Wally, however, lingered for long enough to plant a kiss on Jinx's cheek. He winked, noticing the way her eyebrows creased just a bit at the loud music. "Hung-over much?"_

_She swiped, but he was gone by the time her hands left their normal position. Jinx growled as Argent smirked. "That's the bad side of having Kid Flash as your boyfriend."_

"_Ah, but think of all the benefits. Free transportation, gifts from any part of the world—" Argent winced as well as the music began to play. "It's almost our turn, isn't it? Bloody hell, the music will blast my brain straight out of my 'ead." _

"_Want to ditch?"_

"_Nope."_

"_Me neither, and not just because Raven would kill me. I want to see the look on Bird-Boy's face when she comes through the doors looking like the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the history of sexy, beautiful women."_

"_Yeah, I like seeing my work appreciated too. We should hang out more."_

"_We should."_

_Linking arms, the women walked to the other end of the hall just in time to hear Alfred announce, "And now, the bridesmaids."_

_They locked eyes with the other girls, all of whom looked absolutely gorgeous—thanks to Raven's handy ability to teleport, Jinx and Argent's expertise with make-up, and the fact that they were still in possession of the credit cards of some of the wealthiest men in the world._

"_Show time."_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**1. Perceptive**

Had it been a normal wedding, Kole was sure that no one would've been able to guess the girls' activities the night before. Watching as Batman's lips curved ever-so-slightly and the way Hawkgirl was nudging Wonder Woman, however, Kole knew that they might as well have shown up with red eyes and Bloody Mary's grasped in their hands.

**2. Nostalgic**

"They managed to clean up much better than we did," Shayera murmured to Diana as they watched the bridesmaid walk gracefully up down the scarlet carpet.

"Than I did," Diana grumbled, "You didn't feel any effects at all. I can't believe you didn't tell us that Earth's liquor has barely any effect on you before you challenged us all to that drinking game."

"Aw, good memories," Shayera said, twisting the ring on her finger, "Those were the days."

**3. Best Men and Maids of Honor**

There's an awkward moment where the audience struggles between disappointment and laughter, but in the end the identities of Robin and Raven's best friends stay a secret as Alfred calls up the "best men and maids of honor."

**4. Ring**

For a second, Beast Boy thinks he forgot the ring and his face is a mask of complete terror. Luckily, his fingers grasp it then and no one—except maybe Robin, who almost collapsed—was near enough to realize the near catastrophe that had been avoided.

**5. Kiss**

Most couples—even superhero couples quickly becoming legends—would hesitate to kiss in front of the audience of Justice Leaguers, Teen Titans, and other various important peoples. For Raven and Robin, however, it was all tongue and passion and a _screw you _to anyone who objected. For them, there was no one else in the world.

**6. Guests**

Some of the guests were there by specific invitation. Some, (most of the Justice League), were there because _Robin _was marrying Raven and even if they didn't know the couple personally, they knew enough about them to be interested in the nuptials.

Some guests, on the other hand, had been invited under the radar. Cheshire, Kitten, Red-X, and some other people who were technically "villains" crashed the party without anyone raising too much of an eyebrow. When Mumbo Jumbo waltzed in, however, declaring that he was there to give the bride away, Raven literally tossed him out in a flash of black magic. It was a mercy too—Zatanna looked like she wanted to do much worse things to the old sorcerer.

**7. Press**

And of course, there were reporters. Bruce Wayne's money and the Justice League's connections had managed to block the really annoying ones, but the lucrative magazines had still managed to sneak in disguised as gardeners, chefs, and other civilians.

By the time the reception began, Batman and Green Arrow started competing over who could get rid of the most reporters in the least amount of time.

**8. Untraditional**

She hardly wants Trigon to give her away, and Mad Mod's offer made her want to crack his blue face open—but Raven has to admit that some part of her still wants a man to walk her down the aisle and hand her over to her husband. When Batman, of all people, volunteer, she's too shocked to refuse.

As they make their way down the aisle, she looks at the shock on the guests' faces at the Caped Crusader walking her down the aisle and her mouth quirks, because she knows she made the best choice after all.

**9. Reception**

The food, naturally, is gourmet, exquisite, and constantly needful of replenishing due to the voracious appetites of the wedding guests. It is not, however, enough food to keep Wally from fulfilling his longtime goal of humiliating his best friend on his wedding day. Robin wonders wryly how Wally can manage to gulp down five plates of tiny palm-sized sandwiches and still have time to give the most embarrassing speech ever told at a wedding.

**10. ** **Awkward**

Naturally, there are some awkward moments. The moment where the bride found herself face-to-face with her husband's ex, for example, wasn't exactly the top of her "Wedding Memories" wish-list. However, Barbara Gordon merely gave a razor smile and a stiff nod. Raven's eyes were hard as she smiled back.

The message was clear.

_If you hurt him, I'll kill you._

_If you go near him, my murder will be the least of your worries._

**11. Drunk**

It wasn't everyday that two superheroes got hitched, and several Justice Leaguers were taking full advantage of the free wine—which somehow got spiked with an insanely strong dose of alcohol. After the third embarrassing story, Robin was convinced that it was a conspiracy and that Bruce had set the whole thing up.

He didn't even notice the wink that Alfred gave his amused new bride as the butler discreetly put away the incriminating evidence.

**12. Stories**

They didn't have the traditional romantic meeting, but as the night drew on, they did manage to find several sappy stories to share with the growing audience of inquisitive friends/colleagues/random people who they didn't even know.

**13. Decorations**

"Is this real silver?" Kitten asked amusedly as she fingered the china that the waiter had just sat down in front of her. Xavier wasn't listening—too busy hiding away any valuables that happened to catch his eye. At Jade's disapproving look, he shot her a raised eyebrow.

"Not all of us have rich daddies to by expensive wedding junk for us. Some of us actually need to work for a living."

"Or steal."

"Or steal," he agreed, and froze as he turned and ran into a very muscular chest with a familiar insignia on it. "Oh, crap."

**14. Bemused**

Superman's raised eyebrows weren't exactly promising, but Xavier had always prided himself on his quick tongue and quicker wits. Clark, however, was an investigative reporter in his spare time—he had no problem seeing through the boy's story of "informing the young lady on the consequences of thievery."

This being a wedding, however, he guessed it wouldn't hurt to let it go. Just this once.

**15. Mingling**

The thing with big parties, Jinx grumbled as she watched her boyfriend being approached, yet again, by a superheroine in less clothing than one would usually encounter at the beach. This one was literally dressed in what looked like a bikini, with green flames instead of skin.

_Great, when he said one of his exes had been smokin' hot, I didn't think he meant literally._

**16. Cinderella**

The official end of the reception had been nine, but it wasn't until the huge grandfather clock started striking twelve that everyone began to pack up. J'onn activated the Watchtower transport system, beaming people in and out of where they were supposed to go, and soon the room was empty.

Robin smiled at Raven, unmasked eyes sparking mischievously. "What do you say we try to enjoy what's left of our wedding night—or are you going to disappear at midnight?"

Raven, caught up in the moment despite herself, allowed herself a small smile in return. "I say, screw the glass slipper. Let's make this night one to remember."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Despite the fact that their wedding night was one she'd remember—and feel, for a long time—when Raven thinks back to their wedding, she remembers their half-hungover friends, the look on Batman's face when he spotted the slightly tipsy Superboy making a move on Wonder Woman, and the shade of red Robin's face turned when Wally—who was more than a little sloshed—announced the activities of the night before._

_Then, of course, Jinx had to top her boyfriend by explaining what exactly they'd been up to while the boys were on their little "scavenger hunt." They'd started arguing about who's night was better, finishing with a heated kiss that earned jealous/disappointed looks from at least two other superheroines._

_Robin, on the other hand, remembers the moment Raven walked out in her wedding dress. She'd opted out of white—the color clashed horribly with her skin—choosing instead to wear a classy, dark violet gown that was simple, sleek, and so completely Raven that had Robin not known better, he would have thought she'd had it specially designed._

_(Then again, judging by the proud look on Alfred's face, it might as well have been.)_

_He remembers the moment they said their vows, the moment they kissed—the moment Roy had jabbed him in the back and hissed for them to save it for that night. He'd pulled away reluctantly, savoring the taste of her on his lips._

_Raven was smirking, but the half-dazed look in her eyes had told him that she'd been just as affected._

_Unfortunately, they were superheroes, which meant they had an image to uphold. People to meet. A party to enjoy._

_Naturally, there are hundreds of photos. Raven and Robin are somehow all over the tabloids the next morning, as well as several other scandalous shots of various superheroes lip-locking. Apparently, a wedding was an ideal place for couples to showcase their love._

_And, of course, some of the more valuable china mysteriously went "missing." Robin suspects that a certain thief is snickering right now, but a part of him is glad he showed up. (After all, he knew better than not to have cameras trained in every possible location. X would have a hard time escaping jail when Robin procures visual evidence of him in the act._

_In the end, however, it isn't the individual moments that stand out about their wedding. When Robin and Raven remember that night, they remember the love in the air, the laughter of their friends, and the companionship that brought them all together._

_And no matter what their friends claim, that's the greatest wedding present of all._

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><p>Please give suggestions, even if it's only a pairing, prompt, or setting-you never know what will send the creative juices flowing!<p> 


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